Domino's Trainer
by Pete the Rock
Summary: Ash and Pikachu find themselves lost before a strange creature guides them to a new world of monsters. Can Ash adapt to this game while being away from his friends?
1. KuribOh Boy!

Disclaimer: No ownership of Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

 _ **Domino's Trainer**_

 _Chapter 1: Kuriboh Boy!_

* * *

A large city, many people and unique creatures journeyed through the streets as four young people made their appearances to the place. One was a raven-haired young man. He donned a red baseball cap with a green triangle printed on the front. Also on him was a blue short-sleeve jacket he donned open over a black t-shirt and jeans. The yellow mouse on his shoulder had red cheeks, brown streaks on its back and the tail took form of a lightning bolt. By him was a redhead young woman. She had her hair in a sideways ponytail while wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt a size small and denim shorts held up by suspenders. The egg in her arms had red and blue spots. It has stubby arms and its head took the shape of a crown. There was a tanned, dark brunette young man with a spiky hairstyle while he wore an orange t-shirt under a green vest and brown cargo pants. Last was a tall and young pink-haired woman wearing a white t-shirt and short-shorts. "We're back in Goldenrod City," the pink-haired huffed. "Finally, I can get back to what I was doing before Clefairy journeyed off."

"Hey, it was a good thing Clefairy did, Whitney," the raven-haired reflected. "Otherwise, who knows how long it would be until I had a Gym Battle."

"Maybe you'd take a trip to find another gym before you got back to me, Ash."

"And without information, that would take us forever," the redhead sighed. The egg-like creature shrilled a little to the comment.

("Let's get shopping!") it chirped.

"Misty, you don't need to be critical on Ash," the tanned man told the redhead. "I mean, we did try to hold him up from going to Whitney's Gym in the first place."

"Well… kinda," Misty shrugged. "By the way…" She now turned to Whitney. "Why did you want to join us when you could be on Milton's farm with the Miltank?"

"Hey, a girl's gotta shop and there's a new store opening up featuring jewelry that I know you'll like." That got Misty and Brock excited, but not Ash and his mouse.

"Why don't I lead the way?" volunteered Brock. "After all, it would be safer considering what we ran into finding your gym in the first place." Excited, Whitney clapped her hands.

"Would you!?" she eagerly wished. "That would be wonderful! Clefairy and Miltank will surely appreciate the effort!" The two dashed off before Misty followed.

"Wait for me and Togepi!" she hollered. Ash and the mouse stood in dismay.

("And there they go…") the mouse squeaked.

"And they tell me Pokémon gyms don't go anywhere," Ash murmured. Slowly, they began to chase after the other three. They began to enjoy the venues around Goldenrod City. Brock saw young women to ask out while Misty pulled him away each time. Between episodes of that, her and Whitney's trek involved shopping for new clothes and jewelry like necklaces. Misty gave Togepi a little cape to try on.

("Superhero!") it shrilled. The young women giggled. Ash stood back, not eager to shop with the rest. Whitney turned to Ash and Pikachu, curious as to their lack involvement.

"Ash, I found something I know you'll like!" she called out. Interested, Ash reached Whitney before she removed Ash's hat for a new baseball cap, yellow with a lightning bolt for the decal. Ash didn't approve of the new cap and pushed it off.

"No!" he protested. "Why would I wear a different hat!?" He reestablished his red cap. "Who do you think I am, Casey!? I'm not a baseball fan, let alone support the Electabuzz!" A yellow rotund human-like creature with rod-like ears growled to Ash. A bleached blond man came to the creature's side.

"He meant the baseball team, not you, Electabuzz," he clarified. Electabuzz calmed down before going with the man somewhere else.

"Calm down, Ash," Whitney said. "I'm just giving you other ideas to keep that cap fresh and clean, alright?" Ash mumbled incoherently to the advice.

"He's not much into fashion," Misty informed. "Let's go…" Whitney shrugged her shoulders before going with Misty, leaving Ash and Pikachu alone as they walked away.

("You didn't need to get upset about it,") Pikachu squeaked.

"Pikachu, you know how valuable this hat is," Ash explained as he huffed a groan.

("I do, the million postcards…") Ash wanted to focus.

"Maybe we should get something to eat. Usually calms me down."

("Good idea-") The sudden stop came as Pikachu spotted something hairy and floating. A decrepit green hand and foot were visible behind a wall of a building. ("Over there!") Ash heard Pikachu's call and turned to the figure who tried to fly away.

"What was that? A new Pokémon?" It caught Pikachu's interest to know.

("Let's find out!") Leading, Pikachu chased the new figure into the alleyway behind the building where they saw the creature. They found connecting alleyways throughout Goldenrod. They stopped to gather their thoughts.

"Great, we're lost…"

("Not good for us.") Ash stepped one way, then walked another way as Pikachu watched.

"It was something brown, right?"

("It was…") Just then, a wail echoed. Both turned to the sound before spotting a brown fuzzball with green hands and feet. Its yellow eyes interested the two.

"A new Pokémon?" Ash brought out a red device, opened the flaps and pointed it to the creature. He waited for a result. Nothing came up. This puzzled Ash. "That's weird… I'm pretty sure you charged it up a few days ago, Pikachu."

("Just a little Thunder Shock to keep it full. Is it a Pokémon?") The fuzzball came to Ash which prompted him to pet it… but to his surprise, his hand phased through the brown critter.

"What the-!" The fuzzball laughed before flying away, but not before going down another corridor of alleyways. "Shall we follow it?"

("Might as well.") Ash and Pikachu chased the fuzzball around the alleyways before they heard cheering. Now, there's a lead.

"This way!" The two found the end of the alleyway and to a crowd gathered on the road. The chants echoed as Ash and Pikachu closed it. "A battle?" They began to worm their way through the crowd before seeing a giant orange stegosaurus with spikes instead of plates on its back and a sword-like swinging tail. Behind it, a dark brunette young man in a red beanie cap with violet tips sticking out the front and yellow shirt over a green jacket. They faced a violet-haired woman in red with white wings on her gold tiara and her back. She also had white boots. There was also a redhead woman/bird hybrid with a whip made of an unknown energy source. She wore a steel brassier and skin-tight trousers over her talon legs. Behind the two women was a young blond woman in a white midriff over a purple vest and arm sleeves while also donning a purple miniskirt and boots. There were four red cards that appeared before the blond and the violet-haired, two on each side while they also wore what looked to be arm blades with cards inserted into them.

"Gotta admit, Rex," the blond taunted. "I'd thought the dinosaurs in your deck would effect your head, but summoning Sword Arm of Dragon has got to be the worst desperation move I've seen in a duel! It's not quite strong enough to take either of my two dames, only 50 Attack Points." Rex grunted as Ash and Pikachu studied the setting.

("Cards?") guessed Pikachu.

"It's a… card game?" wondered Ash. Rex started to grin as he and the blond held cards in their hands on the same arm as their arm blades.

"Desperation, huh?" he sneered. "Sometimes, Mai… it's not what cards I bring out, but what cards I've already laid to see how well you learned from that boy toy you call Joey Wheeler! Besides, you may have a slight Life Point advantage, but that can change with this!" He revealed a green card. On it was a pair of creatures swirling together. "Polymerization! I merge Kaitoptera and Gilasaurus in my hands to summon… Horned Saurus!" Out of nowhere, a horned pterodactyl and a green raptor emerged briefly before they merged into a black pterodactyl with raptor legs and claws on the apex of each wing. The card it came from had an Attack of 2,000 and Defense of 1,800. Ash and Pikachu gulped to the new winged dinosaur.

"That's… something you don't see everyday!" the raven-haired gulped.

("And I thought that Ghastly merging Blastoise and Venusaur together was wrong!") squeaked Pikachu.

"But I'm not done!" proclaimed Rex. "Allow me to equip Sword Arm with Raise Body Heat!" A card flipped up to show a horned creature with fire in the background. "This allows me to raise any of my Dinosaur monsters' Attack and Defense by 300 points! Now, Sword Arm's Attack is 2,050!" Mai gulped to the new creatures risen power as Rex's Sword Arm of Dragon was up to 2,050 Attack and 2,330 Defense. "Now, Sword Arm! Take out her Dunames Dark Witch!" The bladed dinosaur swung its Tail and struck the redhead, shattering her into a thousand pieces. A counter on the arm blade of Mai's fell from 2,600 to 2,350. "And I'm just getting started!" He hit a button that rose a card. The magenta card had a barbed chain yanking a bull from the ground by its throat. That chain emerged and entered a slot on Mai's blade. When it pulled back, Mai's witch came back out in a flash of light. "Dunames Dark Witch is back, thanks to Chain of the Underworld, but her Attack's not so strong now since it loses 700 of those." Mai's returned witch fell to a knee as her attack was now at 1,100.

"Of course, Chain of the Underworld allows me to draw one card," Mai reminded as she pulled a card from her deck.

"But that's not all! I still recall how you humiliated me on that boat ride to Duelist Kingdom! Should be time to return the favor and it helps that Horned Saurus' special ability occurs on the turn I summon him!" Mai wasn't sure what to do. "Now, Horned Saurus! Attack Mai directly!" The Horned Saurus flew to and slammed into Mai with full force. The score on her arm blade was now at only 350. "Next turn, the rest of your life points will become nothing! That Harpy's Pet Dragon will be mine!" Ash observed Rex's score on his blade, seeing 800 LP.

"It's close!" he noticed. "Only 450 LP between the two, and I think LP means Life Points. So, the target of this card game is to take out your opponent's life points?"

("I think so…") Pikachu assumed.

"You know, Rex Raptor," Mai grinned as she pulled a card from her deck in the arm blade. "I've been playing basics with you. I didn't have any special cards in use and yet, I'm about to call checkmate!"

"You bluff!" yelped Rex.

"Now why would I bluff when I have the cards necessary? First, I play Pot of Greed!" She showed a card with a green pot with a grinning face. "This allows me to draw two cards." She pulled two more cards from her deck. "And would you believe that one of my cards is Mystical Space Typhoon?" She revealed a green card with a lightning bolt entering a blue typhoon. "Might wanna say goodbye to Raise Body Heat." Rex's green card shattered.

"Big deal. Your Dunames Dark Witch is still weakened thanks to Chain of the Underworld."

"And I thank you for that." Rex gulped, his mistake about to be revealed. "But before that, since I still have Cyber Harpy Lady, I can play this: Elegant Egotist!" She inserted a card. It was green when it appeared. It appeared like looking inside a kaleidoscope and finding a lot of faces. "Thanks to this, I can summon my Harpy Lady Sisters!" A new orange card emerged where three winged women appeared with different hair-color and hairstyle: the blue-haired standing up, the orange-haired with most covering half her face and a carmine-haired that extended pass her waist. All had golden brassier armor on them. The three had an Attack of 1,950 and a Defense of 2,100.

"You could use that to take out my Sword Arm, but not enough on Horned Saurus!"

"Could you put a lid on for another minute? Besides, you wanted this card, right? Harpy's Pet Dragon? Well, there's one card that I'm glad wasn't eliminated…" With one press, a green card emerged with a cross on it. Rex freaked out.

"Monster Reborn!?"

"And I'm gonna be taking that Two-Headed King Rex for the perfect setup." A purple two-headed dinosaur emerged by Dark Witch where its Attack was at 1,600 and Defense at 1,200. There were three horns on each head. "But say goodbye since neither one of them is strong enough to take down your Horned Saurus. I sacrifice Dunames Dark Witch and Two-Headed King Rex… and bring forth… Harpy's Pet Dragon!" The witch and the two-headed vanished as a pale red dragon emerged with a roar. It had a black face like a mask. Its Attack was at 2,000 but Defense was higher at 2,500. "And that's not all… with each Harpy Lady on the field, Harpy's Pet Dragon gains an additional 300 Attack points!" The Attack of Harpy's Pet Dragon grew, now becoming 2,600.

"This looks to be it for Rex," Ash believed.

("Let's watch,") Pikachu urged.

"Harpy Lady Sisters!" called out Mai. "Tear apart his Sword Arm of Dragon!" The winged sisters clawed Sword Arm, tearing the dinosaur to pieces. Rex's Life Points fell a little to 600. "Now, Harpy's Pet Dragon! Roast Horned Saurus!" Harpy's Pet Dragon breathed a huge flame that scorched Horned Saurus. Rex gawked in disbelief as his Life Points dropped to zero. The crowd cheered as Mai waived her free hand. "Thank you!" Rex fell to his knee before getting back up.

"This isn't over, Mai Valentine! I'll get my hands on your Pet Dragon!" After that, he dashed away as Ash and Pikachu reached Mai.

"Talk about a sore loser," Ash believed.

("We've seen plenty of them,") Pikachu reminded. Mai now turned to the two… and cooed to Pikachu.

"Aren't you adorable!" she cheered as she picked the Pokémon from Ash's shoulder. "I highly doubt you're a new type of Duel Monster, but I'd pick you for some cuddling!" She held Pikachu to her body in a firm hug, easing the Mouse Pokémon.

"Once again, Pikachu's attracted more attention," Ash sneered. Mai now saw Ash and knelt to his level.

"Who might you be? And you know this cute monster?"

"Pikachu's my partner and-" Mai's smile quieted Ash as she observed his figure. She cupped his chin for a better look.

"Those eyes, are they milk chocolate? And those zigzags… " She placed a finger and traced the zigzag under Ash's eye, making the trainer feel uneasy. "I'm thinking we have a new duelist on hand here in Domino City." Her assessment left Ash dumbfounded.

"D-Duelist?" Mai huffed a little giggle before having an idea.

"I can explain to you what's going on, cutie. Let's head to Yugi's home. I'm Mai." Ash remembered the names of the two who played.

"Mai Valentine, I heard." Mai nodded before leading Ash somewhere. Ash and Pikachu may be in a new land, but what awaits here in Domino that may keep the two from returning to Goldenrod?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Decked Ya!

_Chapter 2: Decked Ya!_

* * *

Ash, Mai and Pikachu reached a building where a stone sign read "GAME" above the door. "Here we are," Mai announced.

"Not a bad spot," Ash nodded.

"It's also a card shop, by the way. Here, you can get cards for your Duel Monsters deck." The three entered the shop with Ash curious about the game they played. Inside, there was a display case with different cards, different colors and different pictures of creatures and items. Pikachu ran to see the cards inside the case.

("Look at 'em all!") he squeaked. Ash came to Pikachu's side while Mai wondered who's here.

"Solomon!?" she called. "Solomon, you in here? Your store's open!"

"Coming, Miss Valentine!" sounded an aged man. Out emerged a gray-haired, gray-goatee man in overalls and a green bandanna. He appeared to be slightly taller than Ash, whom he saw. "Who did you bring in?" Mai looked to see the gray-haired entering.

"Hey, you're the only one operating the shop! You need to be here when you have customers!"

"I don't need you to lecture me about watching my own store, no thank you." Mai scoffed to the gray-haired's snap.

"Anyway, Solomon… I brought someone here who could use a starter deck. This is Ash Ketchum. He's from a new world of monsters." Solomon turned to Ash and they met with a handshake.

"Hello, Ash. I'm Solomon Muto. I run this place."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Solomon," Ash returned. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder to see the gray-haired.

("I expected someone taller…") he pondered. Solomon's curiosity began to run in his mind.

"What is _this_ , now?" he asked as he picked Pikachu from the shoulder. "Certainly not a Duel Monster I recognize. Maybe Pegasus can help with making new cards like this." Pikachu looked confused.

("A monster based off me?") Luckily, Ash knew how to answer.

"Pikachu's not a Duel Monster," he corrected. "He's a Pokémon. I'm his trainer." Solomon gawked to the real identity.

"Pokémon?" he realized as he replaced Pikachu to Ash's shoulder. "Don't get me wrong, I see some potential in seeing him as a Thunder-Type Monster. Not like that lightning bolt of a tail is a dead giveaway." Pikachu finally understood Solomon's point and smiled.

("That sounds awesome to see,") he laughed. Despite the incoherent squeaks, Solomon believed Pikachu's interest to the idea.

"I'm glad you agree," he chuckled.

"That would also be something I wanna see," Mai sneered. Solomon turned back to Ash.

"So, where did you come from and how did you know about the game?" he asked. Ash took a deep breath before starting.

"I had recently defeated the Goldenrod City Gym Leader, Whitney, to earn this," he began as he showed a badge of a yellow four-point diamond from inside his jacket. There was also a badge of a ladybug and one looking like silver wings.

"Okay, not quite jewelry I wear," Mai scoffed.

"As I returned to Goldenrod City with my friends, Pikachu and I saw this floating creature entering an alleyway," Ash resumed. "We followed it through several alleyways and got lost… like almost always. It came back and soon, Pikachu and I found the ending to Mai's battle with Rex." To Mai and Solomon, the creature seem to be something Ash would know about.

"I bet it was a Pokémon you chased," Mai guessed.

"That's what I thought as well," Ash nodded. "But it didn't register on my PokéDex." Now, the two began to understand Ash's story more.

"What did this creature look like?" questioned Solomon. "It might be a Duel Monster." Ash remembered seeing the creature and recalling its features.

"Brown ball of fur, about Pikachu's size," he began to list. "Yellow eyes, green deformed hand and feet and can float." Someone else heard the detail and made himself known.

"You saw Kuriboh?" a young man asked. All turned to see a young man with crown-like wild spiky hair with three colors: blond in front, red in the middle and black in back. He wore a blue school uniform and a gold chain holding a gold pyramid upside-down with an eye showing. He was about at a similar height to Solomon.

"Yugi!" greeted Solomon. "How was school?"

"Not now, Grandpa," Yugi dismissed. He pulled out a deck of cards and shuffled through them before finding an orange card with the brown critter Ash mentioned. Its Attack was at a measly 300 and Defense was at 200. Yugi gave the card to Ash, whose eyes lit up.

"That's it, alright," Ash confirmed as a brunette young woman entered. She wore a pink school uniform with a blue skirt. Behind her were three more young men and a redhead young woman wearing the same outfit as the brunette girl. The young men also wore the same blue uniform as Yugi as the blond gawked to eyeing Mai. The new arrivals were much taller than Yugi, dwarfing him.

"Yugi, what's going on?" the brunette asked.

"That's what we're all wondering, Téa," Yugi shrugged.

"Sure, but that's not as big as to why Mai's visiting the store!" the blond man gawked. He sounded like he came from Brooklyn.

"It's nice to see you, too, Joey," Mai teased. Yugi refocused to the case of Ash.

"So, you followed Kuriboh from your home to here?" he asked.

"We did," Ash acknowledged as the redhead came to Yugi's side. "We found Mai beating Rex and she guided us here." The redhead's eyes glistened to someone.

"What a cutie!" she shrieked. The boys gasped in shock, including Ash and Pikachu. That's when she picked Pikachu up. "Aren't you, little one?" Every man collapsed onto their faces in shock. They soon sat up.

"Serenity," whimpered Joey. "Would you please not do that?"

"You had us believe you're talking about the kid," the other raven-haired young man groaned. He wore a red headband and dice earrings. Serenity softly rubbed cheeks with Pikachu to listen.

"Well, that ridiculously large mouse is an eye-catcher," Téa snickered.

"It's true what Ash said about him," Mai sighed.

"I see, that boy's the owner of that mouse," Téa sneered. As soon as the boys recovered, Solomon started with introductions, first with Yugi.

"Ash, this is my grandson, Yugi Muto," he named. "As you can imagine, we in the Muto family have... rather short legs." Pikachu felt sorry for Solomon and Yugi. "There's Joey Wheeler and his sister, Serenity… and I'm not sure if you're worried about Pikachu being in her arms."

"Don't worry about it," Ash eased. "As long as they're nice to Pikachu, what's there to worry about?" To Serenity, a test presented itself.

"You mean like this?" she questioned before kissing Pikachu's cheek. The Mouse Pokémon squealed in delight from the kiss. He made Serenity, Mai and Téa gush in awe to the beloved rodent.

"Right now, that rat's the one taking Serenity's heart," the brunette teen groaned. His hair looked like the front of a boat.

"And that's a bad thing, Tristan?" guessed Joey.

"Definitely! I mean, it's like coddling an infant! How are we suppose to get love like he does?"

"It's called having a pet. What, did one chew through your deck when you weren't watching?"

"As if I had a pet to begin with, Wheeler!" Téa grabbed Tristan and Joey's ears. They let out a yelp but they stopped their argument.

"I can't believe this is how we treat our guests!" she scolded. Ash, Yugi and Serenity sighed. Téa came to Ash to apologize. "Sorry about that. I really do need more female friends."

"So you've told us multiple times, Téa," Solomon sighed. "Ash, this is Téa Gardner. The one arguing with Joey is Tristan Taylor."

"I'm actually willing to believe her about wanting more female friends," Ash muttered. "Guess I won't get along with her too much."

"Oh, don't say that!" eased Téa. "Besides, we're just meeting each other. I'm sure you and I can get along. I'm just referring to those three."

"Hey, what have I done!?" argued the raven-haired.

"You know what it is, Duke: the way you two have tried to claim Serenity! It's so daily between you and Tristan, it's driving me up a wall!" Duke tried to play innocent.

"Hey, if Joey hadn't introduced me to her, I wouldn't have had a reason to be this close to you guys. I'm right now just worried that the new kid will take Serenity away!"

"That's not something to be concerned about." From behind Téa, a blond girl sneaked behind her and tackled Yugi.

"There you are, my shmoopy!" she cooed. Yugi recognized her off the bat as she wore the same uniform as Téa and Serenity with the addition of glasses over her eyes.

"Rebecca!?" he shrieked. Téa cringed at Rebecca's cling to Yugi.

"Must you do that every time!?" she snarled. Rebecca turned to Téa with a smug.

"What's your deal?" she taunted. "Besides, you're with him everyday!"

"I won't argue that, but you can't be serious that you'd just ignore our new guest!" Rebecca blinked before turning to see Ash.

"He'd be perfect for either you or Serenity." Téa and Joey gawked to Rebecca's options.

"Hey, don't put my sister in this conversation!" the elder Wheeler snapped. "She's already got enough problems with these two! The least you could do is introduce yourself to him! You had to learn that in school, right?"

"And besides," Téa added. "Why would I want someone like Ash? He's too young for me!"

"And you're after Yugi, who's also younger than you," Rebecca countered. Téa's eyebrow twitched from the remark.

"Okay, everyone!" called out Mai. "You're all getting a bit too rowdy for the guest. Let's simmer and get introductions done, alright?" Everyone calmed down, including Pikachu.

("At least I didn't get to use Thunderbolt on everyone,") he sighed in relief.

"That was a bit crazy," Serenity sympathized. After learning about Duke and Rebecca, Yugi, Mai and Joey got a table set for Ash. A game-board was placed on the table where there were ten card size spaces in the middle. The front five had an overlay which was the same card size but sideways. There were four more spots with different symbols: one looking like a pile of papers, one with a tombstone, one with a swirl like on Rex's Polymerization, and one that looked like a compass.

"Hold on…" Ash noticed. "When I got here, I saw Mai and Rex using those armblade devices."

"Don't worry, Ash," Joey assured. "It works the same way whether with a field like this or with a Duel Disk." Yugi pulled out six cards, all with different colors: yellow, orange, purple, blue, green and magenta. He laid the green and magenta cards in the back spaces white the rest laid on the front. The yellow card had a man in a purple cloak and pointy hat. The orange card had a girl in blue with a pink skirt. She also wore a blue pointy hat with a visor bill. The purple card had a knight in blue wielding two red lances and riding a gold dragon with a horn for a nose. The blue card had another man with blue skin and wearing a tight black suit. The green card was a white wing brushing while the magenta card was a barrier taking a shot.

"Now, these are cards and their designations," Yugi started. "Yellow cards are Normal Monsters, orange are Effect Monsters, purple are Fusion Monsters and blue are Ritual Monsters."

"Then you have two card colors that belong behind the Monsters' Zone," Mai explained as she placed her arm around Ash's neck. Ash didn't feel her forearm on the back of his neck for stability. "The green cards are Spell/Magic cards that you can play during your turn or if there's a privilege to use them outside said turn. Last are the magenta cards that are Trap cards. They're automatically face-down when you want to put them on the field, never face-up until after your turn."

"I see," Ash nodded. That's when he picked up the card with the girl, her Attack at 2,000 and her Defense at 1,700. "I wanted to ask about-" He stopped when the girl winked at him before a giggle hummed. The others were confused, including Pikachu.

"Ask about what, Ash?" questioned Yugi. Ash wanted to discuss what he saw but shook his head.

"Sorry, I was distracted," he apologized. "Anyway, I saw Mai use two monsters to summon Harpy's Pet Dragon… and now that I see these cards, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, do they need monsters to summon them?"

"To monsters at higher than Level Four, you do, though there are times where that condition is ignored," Mai corrected. "Basically, in order to summon monsters with level five or six, you need to sacrifice one monster. Levels seven or more, two. Levels four or fewer, you can summon right off the bat." Ash nodded to the assessment.

"And I'm now aware of Trap cards being upside-down, but can any card be like that?"

"Good question," Yugi replied. "Almost any card can be upside-down. Ritual and Fusion Monsters can't unless a card effect occurs to flip it. Also, monsters can be set sideways in defensive position. This way, your life points are protected."

"Even at the cost of your monster," Joey added. Pikachu gulped to the idea.

("I'm not sure about this,") he squeaked in fear.

"It's already more complicated than training my Pokémon, and not just Pikachu," Ash compared. "At least we can say that in Duel Monsters and Pokémon, we carry more than one creature." This alerted the duelists.

"Hold on…" Joey gulped. "You're telling me you got more than Pikachu?" Ash snickered before unhooking four red/white balls and one red/cyan/white b from his waist.

"Come on out everyone!" Throwing the balls high, they opened and released light. Forming from the light were a blue tiny crocodile, a blue long-nosed mouse with red spots on its back, a blue horned beetle on its hind legs, a blue four-legged creature with a green bulb on its back and a green four-legged creature with buds around its neck and a leaf from its head. The green creature leaped up to Ash and nuzzled him, much to Ash's ease. "Okay, Chikorita! I get it!" The new Pokémon seemed puzzled with their new location.

"Okay, now things have gotten weirder, and I didn't think it was possible!" gawked Joey. "No doubt Weevil would like you." The beetle seemed perplexed to the name as Téa, Solomon, Rebecca and Serenity came to see what else appeared.

"What's going on!?" wondered Solomon. Seeing the new mouse, Serenity came over and picked it up.

"I'm not sure which I'd want to cuddle with more: Pikachu or you?" she cooed. Ash lifted the bulbed creature as the crocodile danced around.

"Someone's happy-go-lucky," Téa snickered. Ash chose to explain the creatures.

"Allow me to introduce my Pokémon," he started. "Serenity, you're holding Cyndaquil." The mouse squeaked to the name.

"Cyndaquil, huh?" she repeated. "I guess you don't mind being held like this, do you?" She petted Cyndaquil, easing any tension it had.

("So warm…") it squeaked. Téa and Rebecca giggled to the crocodile's dance.

"Gotta love something this joyous," the brunette sneered. Ash also giggled to his crocodile.

"Totodile will find happiness somehow," he sighed. "Anyway, this Pokémon on my shoulder is Chikorita." The Pokémon scowled to seeing the girls, making them feel uneasy.

"That one's a little temperamental…" Rebecca gulped.

("He's my flower!") it chirped. ("Get your own!") This made even Mai nod to Rebecca's description.

"Temperamental, indeed," she believed. That's when the beetle started to slurp from the bulb of the bulbed creature. It summoned green vines and swatted it back.

"I'm guessing there's something good in that bulb you're sucking from, huh?" pondered Yugi.

("My favorite!") the beetle buzzed. Ash sighed to the beetle's behavior.

"Heracross is still after Bulbasaur's sap," he named. "At least, Pokémon don't go down after one hit… most of the time." The rest marveled to Ash's Pokémon.

"I gotta say, I've never seen these many creatures alive since taking Yugi to the zoo when he was younger," Solomon teased.

"Gramps, these aren't typical crocodiles or beetle or mice!" pointed Joey. "We're talking about creatures with incredible powers."

"That's one way to look at it, Joey," Serenity agreed. "I can feel incredible warmth from Cyndaquil right now."

"I don't think that's what Joey had in mind, Serenity," Mai corrected before itching his cheek. "Of course, I'm starting to believe most of it's from this young gentleman." The Pokémon acknowledged while Chikorita summoned vines to swat Mai away. Mai reeled back before a swat struck her. "You're awfully clingy." Chikorita growled. Suddenly, an argument erupted outside the room.

"How can you be so stupid!?" shouted Duke. "You know that's not something Serenity likes!"

"And you know what is, Dice Boy!?" argued Tristan.

"For the longest time!" The rest saw the argument play out.

"And you said I was being rowdy?" murmured Rebecca to Téa. Pikachu came out and jumped twice: off the floor and off the case. Tristan and Duke suddenly spotted Pikachu before he unleashed a massive blast of electricity. Struck, Tristan and Duke screamed in pain from the electrocution. After several seconds, Pikachu stopped the shock treatment. The boys fell to the ground, stunned. Pikachu turned back to the rest.

("Too much?") he asked.

"You're fine, little guy," Mai excused.

"No wonder this little critter's a big asset," Téa thought. A couple of hours later, the group seemed ready to go to their homes. Téa and Serenity had a request each for Ash. Serenity held Cyndaquil while Téa had Pikachu.

"You don't mind if we borrow these Pokémon?" asked Serenity. "I wanna study Cyndaquil for a little longer, know what it can do."

"And at least Pikachu won't shock me unless I do something like Tristan and Duke did," Téa assured.

"Just as long as you keep him away from ketchup," Ash warned. Téa's eyebrow rose.

"What's the big deal about having ketchup around the house and Pikachu?" An idea popped up in Serenity's head, making her laugh.

"As long as he's fed, don't worry," she advised. Téa didn't seem to get it. Ash turned to Mai as she had Bulbasaur in her arms.

"You wanna take Bulbasaur?" he asked.

"Well, I'd rather have you instead but…" she referred. She pointed to Chikorita while it aimed its leaf at her.

"I see…"

"And aren't you in your twenties, already?" pointed Duke. "I shouldn't start the obvious but you're a little old for him."

"Big deal if I am," Mai snapped back. "At least he knows a little more on how to respect a woman unlike you three combined." Joey, Duke and Tristan gawked to Mai's assessment.

"That shut them up," Téa smiled.

"Look who's talking!" the three boys snapped back. Serenity palmed Joey's shoulder.

"Joey, let's get going," she called. Joey relented before everyone exited.

"See ya tomorrow, Yug!" he waived.

"Bye, Joey!" returned Yugi. Rebecca reached Yugi and hugged him.

"Bye, my shmoopy!" she cooed before kissing his cheek. Téa mulled to Rebecca's affection. As the night set, Yugi and Ash practiced with Duel Monsters. Heracross, Chikorita and Totodile watched Ash duel Yugi.

"I'm glad that my grandpa loaned you his deck to practice Duel Monsters with me," Yugi complimented.

"I'm not arguing," Ash agreed. "I heard he'll have a deck for me tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I'm still adjusting from training Pokémon to this."

"True, and I bet my spirit friend the same." Ash blinked to the mention.

"Spirit friend?"

"Well, you'll see him soon enough. That's what happens when I assembled the Millennium Puzzle."

"Oh… I don't get it."

"Don't worry about it." Yugi drew a card before putting it in his hand for another card. "Now, I sacrifice Queen's Knight and Jack's Knight to summon Dark Magician!" Yugi removed two cards before placing Dark Magician's card on the table, his Attack at 2,500 and Defense at 2,100. "And I attack Gemini Elf!" Ash cringed as he dipped his head. "And that's the match. Hey, you did pretty good."

"Yeah, but I'm still getting used to it." Chikorita rubbed her leaf on Ash's head. "Thanks, Chikorita." Yugi reached over and massaged Chikorita's back.

"She's certainly aware of how you feel. Wanna continue?"

"I do." Ash and Yugi continued for another hour. Ash's deck is coming, what will be in it?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. I Sea You Dueling!

Chapter 3: I Sea You Dueling!

* * *

The morning rose for everyone in the shop. Yugi was dressed for another day of school. He saw Ash wake with Chikorita on his shoulder. "Morning, Ash," Yugi greeted. "You too, Chikorita!"

("Morning, Yugi!") the Leaf Pokémon chirped. They reached the kitchen where Yugi toasted some bread and drank some tea. He tore off some bread for Chikorita who ate the loaf. Ash woke to find Solomon packing a deck of cards together.

"Morning, Ash!" he greeted. "I just got done preparing your deck. All you need is a Duel Disk and you're all set. Luckily, someone's bringing one over soon." Ash awed the quickness of Solomon's process.

"Thanks, Solomon," he replied. Solomon handed Ash the newly made deck.

"Now I know there's twice as many cards needed. You can mix and match to get at least the 40 needed to duel someone." Ash believed he'll need to scope through his new deck.

"I do need to mix it up somehow… and learning from Yugi, I've got a good idea on balancing the different cards."

"That's my grandson!" That's when there's a bell ringing. Entering was a raven-haired young man with more hair than Ash. He wore a blue and turquoise sweatshirt under a yellow vest and denim pants. He carried a package about twice the length of his arm.

"Delivery for Solomon Muto!" he announced. Yugi and Chikorita came to see the new young man as Solomon welcomed him.

"Mokuba!" he named. "How's Seto doing?" Mokuba huffed a chuckle.

"It's Seto. Not much you can say about my brother." That's when he spotted Chikorita, curious as was the Pokémon. "That's… not something you see everyday." He put the package down and knelt. "It's okay… you can come over." Chikorita reached Mokuba who petted her. Chikorita became a little more comfortable.

"See, Chikorita?" pointed Ash. "He's curious about you." Chikorita nodded, but Mokuba seemed puzzled.

"The fact I can touch you, I can tell that your no Duel Monster," he studied.

("Of course not,") she replied. Serenity, Joey and Cyndaquil arrived to see Mokuba and became curious.

"Whoa, what's Mokuba doing here?" the elder Wheeler asked. Mokuba stood to face the siblings.

"I wanted to make the delivery for Kaiba Corp.," he explained before eyeing Cyndaquil. "And now I think I made the right decision. What is that?" Serenity chose to explain the new creature.

"I'm holding Cyndaquil," she identified. Cyndaquil squeaked to the name. "He certainly kept Joey warm last night."

"Not that I needed it," Joey scoffed. "I thought the poor thing needed comfort." Serenity didn't believe Joey.

"Right…" Téa and Pikachu arrived to see the commotion as Mokuba brought Ash a Duel Disk.

"What's going on?" she asked. All watched as Mokuba fitted the Duel Disk, latching it on Ash's arm.

"Looks good," Mokuba determined. Ash flexed his left arm to get a feel for the Duel Disk.

"Lightweight…" he studied. Yugi viewed the sight as a step to becoming a duelist for Ash.

"Now that you have a deck and Duel Disk," he listed. "You're ready for duels to come your way!" Téa now saw the Duel Disk on Ash's arm and who delivered it.

"Hey, Mokuba," she greeted. Mokuba turned to see Téa and others.

"This has become a heck of a discovery," he sighed before turning to Ash. "Maybe the next time I see you, Ash… I'd like to know more of Chikorita and Cyndaquil."

"Hey, no problem!" replied Ash. Mokuba and Yugi joined Joey and the girls after they dropped the Pokémon to Ash. He headed out with Pikachu and his Pokémon recalled to their balls. He traveled around the new city before finding an ice cream shoppe. He entered and made an order for himself and Pikachu.

"One peanut butter milkshake and one mint chip," he suggested.

("Don't mind the peanut butter shake!") squeaked Pikachu. The shopkeeper, a blond woman, smiled.

"You got it!" she acknowledged. Ash sat at a table where he and Pikachu awaited their shakes. A brunette man brought a small aluminum cup with a peanut butter shake.

"The mint chip will be a little while," he apologized.

"Don't worry," Ash laughed. The man nodded before walking off and allowing Ash to see his deck. Ash viewed many cards, including three green snake-like dragons with lightning all around. Another card was a cartoon-like alligator wielding an ax. "And I thought Totodile was goofy."

("True, but not _that_ goofy,") Pikachu gulped before slurping his shake. He also viewed a Bengal tiger, a dog dressed like a ninja, a cybernetic warrior wielding a sword longer than its arm, a woman in tattered green loin and brassier with muscles, a samurai in bulky cybernetic steel armor and wearing a hi-tech eye-patch…

"I gotta create a deck with this. Pikachu, wanna help sort this?"

("Sure!") The brunette returned with a green shake that had chocolate chips inside.

"Here's your mint chip!" he announced. Ash looked up to see it.

"Oh… thanks!" he accepted. Pikachu sifted through Spell and Trap cards as Rebecca entered. She saw the milkshake and snagged it before Ash noticed. When he reached for the shake, he couldn't touch it. His fingers pounded on the table before he looked to see Rebecca downing the mint chip in one gulp. A refreshed sigh followed.

"Now that hit the spot!" she smiled. Ash looked disturbed.

"Rebecca?" he gawked.

"Hey, Ash! Taking a break from dueling Yugi?" Ash seemed dumbfounded to Rebecca's thievery.

"That was… my milkshake."

("Why did you steal it?") asked Pikachu.

"Well, you should know better than to leave it sitting around and letting it melt," Rebecca scoffed. "A warm milkshake is nothing tasteful. Besides, why order something you're going to let become spoiled?" Ash's deadpan look pained Pikachu's comfort.

"I just got the shake a minute ago," he replied. Rebecca's face read a mistake she made. Ash never had a chance to taste his shake before he did.

"Oops…" She clutched her head in shame. "I'm sorry. I'll go get you a replacement." Ash straightened his face out.

"Look, it's okay. It's nothing to get worked up about."

"No, it's not okay. I absconded that milkshake from you after you got it. That wasn't right for me to do. I'll be back." Rebecca made a new order to the shopkeeper. She came back with a brown milkshake with some coffee beans mixed into it. "Here we go… A little mocha latte in the morning." Ash seemed highly interested.

"Hey, can't go wrong with that. Hopefully, I don't go bouncing off the walls." He began to have a sip through a straw when he saw Rebecca inserting one of her own. They drank the milkshake to Ash's shock.

"Not bad… maybe some French Vanilla or maybe Chai would go with it." Recovering, Ash huffed a chuckle. A minute later, Rebecca noted Ash's new gear. "So, Solomon got you a Duel Disk as well?"

"He did… and he got me a huge starting deck with some interesting cards like Nin-Ken Dog, some Six Samurai and Amazoness cards… Now, I'm trying to decide on 40 of these while keeping the card balance." Rebecca scoffed to Ash's concern.

"The minimum _is_ 40, but the Duel Disk can hold up to 60, though I wouldn't recommend doing that. Maybe go for more of 45. Besides, you have three Thunder Dragons at your disposal. Also, Polymerization's a nifty card to summon a monster not many would think is possible. Of course, you're listening to a college student." Ash and Pikachu gawked at Rebecca's feat.

"You're what!?"

("College!?") gasped Pikachu. ("That's something!") Ash collapsed in shock.

"But how-" he gulped before shaking his head. "I'm _sooooooooo_ out of her league." Rebecca looked through Ash's deck. "Alright, I think I know what to use."

"Okay," he nodded. "I do want to use all of these cards at one point." That's when someone new approached as two decks formed, one slightly larger than the other.

"You're all set!" she determined. The new person wanted to make his presence known.

"Looks like we have new fish in the sea," he announced. All three turned to a tanned young raven-haired man wearing a white/blue headband with wave designs and a scar on his left cheek. He wore a blue robe and shorts while having sandals for his feet. Rebecca recognized the new young man.

"You're Mako Tsunami!" she named.

"Indeed. And now I see this… may I ask what this is about? What's with the mouse?"

("Careful, Mako!") growled Pikachu. Mako laughed in seeing the mouse argue.

"Okay… Anyway, I heard of a new duelist in town and I thought I'd come and see him." To Ash, he felt challenged.

"Well, your timing is good," he grinned. "I had some help but my deck is ready. Also, that's my best friend you're curious about." Mako rose his hands to apologize.

"I wasn't aware. Just curious. Anyway, my Water Monsters are ready to ride the wave to victory!" Mako laughed at his own retort. "I just came up with that." Ash giggled to Mako's monsters.

"Water? Well, that's a relief. I happen to know someone who's into Water Pokémon and she'd like to meet you." Mako seemed perplexed with the reply.

"Water… Pokémon?"

"Yeah, like Pikachu…" Ash pulled out Totodile's Pokéball. "And Totodile!" He opened the ball and released Totodile who danced around. Mako seemed humored to Totodile's antic.

"He'd be a lot of fun on a few boat rides. Anyway, since you've finished assembling your deck, ready to go?" He showed Ash his Duel Disk to where Ash felt ready. He inserted his deck into a slot with a clamp. The digital counters revealed "4000 LP" on each. They drew five cards.

"Let's duel!" they declared. Rebecca watched with Pikachu finishing his shake.

("That's good,") he cheered. Rebecca showed a smile to the Pokémon.

"I'll go first," Mako called. "And I'll set the stage with A Legendary Ocean!" The magic card had a picture of an underwater city of stone. Mako placed the card in a new slot after hitting a button. "A Legendary Ocean plays like the field card, Umi, except I can summon monsters up to Level 5 without a problem, and that's not all… I can bring to the field, A Legendary Kraken!" He placed a card which had a giant calamari with snake-like tentacles appearing. Its Attack was at 1,100 before the field boosted it to 1,300 and Defense grew from 2,200 to 2,400. "Last, I can do one Normal Summon, which is why I can now summon Jellyfish in Attack Mode, as well!" Placing that card, a giant white jellyfish showed up with lots of tendrils. Its Attack grew from 1,200 to 1,400 while Defense grew from 1,600 to 1,800. "Last, I lay two cards face-down. I can't attack on the start unless there's a card to do so." Ash sighed before he drew a card.

"That means it's my turn." he gritted. "And I'll start with Toon Alligator… in Defense Mode!" Ash placed the card on his Duel Disk and the cartoon-like gator emerged. "Since it's also a Water Monster, it benefits from your field." Toon Alligator's Attack lifted from 800 to 1,000 and Defense changed from 1,600 to 1,800. "I'm also laying three cards face-down. That'll do it for me." Mako made a chuckle before drawing a card.

"Rare that someone can summon two monsters on the first turn. I got lucky. Anyway, it continues… I summon The Legendary Fisherman in Attack Mode!" Mako placed the card opposite of his Jellyfish and a raven-haired man in a green cloth appeared. He rode a blue shark and his stats rose: Attack from 1,850 to 2,050 and Defense from 1,600 to 1,800. "Now, my Fisherman… Spear that Toon Alligator!" With a spear, The Legendary Fisherman threw the weapon, piercing and destroying Toon Alligator. Ash felt open to attacks as a white-haired young man wearing an ivory sweater appeared.

"A duel?" he guessed with an English accent. Pikachu turned to see the new arrival, getting Rebecca to follow.

"It's Bakura!" she noted before suspecting something. _'He's either got the Millennium Ring under that sweatshirt or he left it somewhere for Yugi not to see?'_ Mako was ready to unleash his barrage. "A Legendary Kraken will start the direct attack!" A Legendary Kraken flung its tentacles and slapped Ash hard. His Life Points fell from 4,000 to 2,700. "Now, Jellyfish… Let him feel your sting!" Jellyfish poked the tendrils at Ash, his score falling some more to 1,300. Ash fell to a knee.

' _Great, I'm already down,'_ he grimaced. _'I gotta do something soon.'_

"Since I don't have any cards in my hand, I can't do anything else. Your turn." Ash stood up and drew another card from his deck. He smiled to the sight.

"I've been down this road before. Time I made a comeback, huh?" He revealed a snake-like dragon with lightning in the background. "First I send Thunder Dragon to grave. That way, I draw two more Thunder Dragons!" Two cards protruded from the deck for Ash to draw. Now, I have one of my face-down cards in effect." Pointing, a card rose. It was Polymerization. To Mako, he suspected the card in mind.

"Okay, you're combining your two Thunder Dragons to create Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, right?"

"I am!" He held the two Thunder Dragons high before they merged into a red two-headed dragon with horns as noses. Its Attack stood at a massive 2,800 with a Defense at 2,100. "And that's not all… I'm also summoning Nin-Ken Dog!" A second card emerged, being the dog in a red ninja suit. Ash was ready for the attack. "Nin-Ken Dog, let's make sushi out of A Legendary Kraken! Howling Shuriken!" Nin-Ken Dog flung out a bunch of ninja stars out, but Jellyfish got in its way.

"I use A Legendary Kraken's special ability: When it's attacked, I can sacrifice an Aqua Monster to negate your Nin-Ken Dog's attack." Jellyfish took the stars and deflated.

"That's just one… Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, you take out A Legendary Kraken… with Double Thunder Roar!" Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon fired two streams of lightning, striking A Legendary Kraken to dust. When the smoke cleared, Mako stood with a smirk. His Life Points didn't go down a point. "Hold on! Both our monsters are in Attack Mode!" Mako snickered to Ash's surprise.

"My Trap card will help sort this." His Trap was a wall of brown tornadoes. "My Tornado Wall cushions your attacks. Hit me with your best shot, I won't take damage." Ash had to think fast.

"Just great… and I can't do anything else."

"That's alright. My turn anyway." Mako drew his next card. "And I drew Pot of Greed… and I can draw two more cards." He looked to his hand once more. "And I think I'll let the shark out. I summon Great White in Attack Mode!" Appearing was a shark with muscular arms. Attack of Great White increased from 1,600 to 1,800 while Defense rose from 800 to 1,000. "Now, I could attack, but I'm gonna hold back. I'm still weary of those two cards you have." Ash sighed in relief before he drew his next card.

"Here goes…" Looking, he smiled once more. "I summon Berserk Gorilla in Attack Mode!" Appearing was a large, heavily muscular and angry gorilla. Its Attack was at 2,000 and Defense was at 1,000.

"And you just sealed the shutout for me." Hitting a button revealed a Trap which showed a blast of blue. "Torrential Tribute! This destroys all your monsters!" A blue beam came out from the sky.

"You'll need to check yourself. I activate _my_ Trap!" That's when his Trap appeared, the picture of a Swiss army knife appearing. "Seven Tools of the Bandit! I lose 1,000 Life Points, but it's worth keeping my monsters here!" The beam evaporated before it reached. Ash's score fell from 1,300 to a mere 300 Life Points. Rebecca felt Ash wasn't going to win.

"He didn't train with Yugi to get beaten like this!" she feared. To Ash, his comeback now began.

"Now, I play Mystical Space Typhoon!" he announced. He put his card down which revealed a typhoon. "And I'll take out your Tornado Wall!" Mako's Trap blew up. Mako now looked to be in trouble.

"Not good…" he gulped.

"Now, Berserk Gorilla… Lash out on the Great White!" Berserk Gorilla blew a stream of fire, roasting Great White. Mako's Life Points started to fall from 4,000 to 3,800.

"Considering that A Legendary Ocean is on the field, The Legendary Fisherman can't be destroyed."

"True, but you're the target if I read The Legendary Fisherman's special ability right." Mako gulped again. "Nin-Ken Dog, attack Mako!" Nin-Ken Dog rained ninja stars on Mako, reducing his Life Points from 3,800 to 2,000. "Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, let's finish this!" Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon blasted Mako and erased the last of Mako's Life Points. Mako fell to a knee. All the cards vanished as Ash pumped his fist in victory. "Yeah!" Rebecca and Pikachu ran to Ash after his win.

"That's a comeback for the memory books!" joked Rebecca.

("Way to go, Ash!") cheered Pikachu.

"Thanks, you two!" praised Ash. Totodile comforted Mako after his loss.

"Thanks, little guy," he praised the Big Jaw Pokémon. Bakura came to Ash as Mako picked Totodile up and joined.

"I've never seen a comeback like that," Bakura awed. "That victory was well-earned." He and Ash shook hands.

"Thanks!" he returned.

"Yugi would be proud of that, Bakura," Rebecca pointed out. Bakura realized who trained Ash.

"Now, I see," he nodded. "I'm Bakura Ryou. Yugi and I go way back." Mako now reached Ash.

"You certainly shocked me with that, Ash," he pointed out. "Pokémon Trainers are something to be feared." Ash laughed to Mako's remark as they shook hands.

"What can I say?" he joked. "You were awesome." Ash made a friend in a duel. What else awaits Ash?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. Feastings

Chapter 4: Feastings

* * *

Ash, Rebecca and Mako enjoyed more milkshakes as Ash showed the two a photo of him, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, Togepi and a brunette boy in a pink/blue striped shirt and denim shorts. "So that's Misty, huh?" asked Mako.

"That is," Ash confirmed.

"And in her arms is her baby?" asked Rebecca. "She's a bit young to raise a child on her own." Ash was willing to correct Rebecca.

"Togepi is a Pokémon," he pointed out. "If you know how to raise a Pokémon, you're fine."

"Well, I guess it makes sense," Mako sighed. That's when Mai and Bulbasaur showed up, finding the trainer.

"So this is where you are," she discovered. All turned to the blond and the Bulbasaur.

"Mai!" recognized Ash. "How's Bulbasaur?" Mai snickered to the question.

"Bulbasaur actually is a lot sweeter than his aggressive nature wanted to depict. Though, some of that may be due to the fragrances I let waft around my bedroom. Never seen one of them become cozy around a few scents." To Mako, it sounded familiar.

"Hold on, didn't you use those fragrances in your duel against Wheeler at Duelist Kingdom?" he accused.

"It was the last time I did," she admitted. "Since then, I practiced to be a diligent duelist. I mean, I didn't use it in my duel against Yugi in the Semifinals. Speaking of, I believe I saw a duel between you two."

"We did." Rebecca also noted the duel.

"Mako had Ash up the river without a paddle," she nagged. "But, Ash stormed back in a hurry and won." Ash nodded, but had a confession of his own.

"Of course, Rebecca helped give me a winning hand," he pointed out. "So, some of that is on her."

"Maybe, but you're the one who drew the cards." Ash giggled to the counterpoint. Mai petted Ash's head in praise.

"Looks like the right boy came to me," she teased. "That was a new experience and one you adapted quickly." Ash nervously laughed to the reward.

"I'm honored," he muttered.

"And Rebecca says I'm too old for Yugi," Téa sneered. All turned to see Yugi and his friends arrive from school. Rebecca ran to Yugi and embraced him in a hug.

"Shmoopy!" she cheered. The rest saw Ash's extra friend.

"Mako?" guessed Joey. Mako let Totodile off his lap.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted. "Got to know this little croc and what it can become. Maybe if there's a way to his world, I may set up new business there." To Tristan, Mako wanted to stop dueling.

"Are you saying you'll retire?" he wondered.

"Slow down, Taylor… I didn't say anything about ending my game." He picked up his milkshake. "Anyway, I'm heading back out to my vessel. Those fish aren't gonna catch themselves. See ya!" He left while Rebecca told Yugi about Ash's duel.

"That's great, Ash!" he praised. "How did it feel?"

"The winning or the game?" asked Ash.

"The game, silly!" Ash stood up with an answer.

"Let's just say I've got good teachers on hand." Joey laughed to the recognition.

"Come on, Ash!" he brushed off. "You're talking to a great duelist, second to Yug, of course."

"Third…" Téa corrected. Joey irked to the renaming.

"Third!?" Unfortunately, Téa had kept a record of Joey's record.

"You keep forgetting about Kaiba and what he's done to you… over and over again!" Joey growled while Ash pictured Mokuba celebrating a win against an angry Joey.

"Mokuba's _that_ good?" he guessed. Joey yelled, grimacing the thought.

"You haven't met Mokuba's brother," Yugi explained. "See, Seto isn't just the president of his own company, but is a terrifying duelist with his Blue-Eyes White Dragons. He's beaten me a couple of times, but won't let go of the grudge against me." Ash and Pikachu awed the history of him and this Seto.

"Sounds a little like my rivalry with Gary," he compared.

("Except he's undefeated against you, Ash,") Pikachu mocked. Ash glanced over to Pikachu for that remark.

"Don't remind me…" That's when Tristan had a suggestion.

"Hey, how about we head to a buffet down the road?" he suggested. "There's a monthly eating contest and I've been training for it." Téa and Serenity groaned to the idea.

"Seriously, Tristan," the sister mulled. "Eating a lot of food isn't gonna impress me." Ash snickered to the idea.

"You might wanna be careful," he sneered. "I haven't had a bite to eat. I'm always hungry for action." Tristan grinned to the challenge.

"Consider yourself on!"

"And that goes for me, too!" added Joey. Yugi and the girls groaned to the upcoming contest.

"This is gonna be a train wreck," Mai murmured. "One you can't watch, yet you can't turn away." Yugi palmed his head.

"I wanna stick with the 'can't watch' part," he mulled. The gang soon arrived at the restaurant where Ash, Joey and Tristan signed up. Joey removed the uniform shirt, a sky blue striped shirt underneath. Tristan switched into a brown leather jacket. Ready, waitresses guided ten men to a line of tables including Ash, Joey and Tristan. Pikachu waited in Serenity's arms.

"Alright, let's bring out this month's contest!" an announcer urged. The waitresses lifted the domes, showing steaks. "And there you have it: our mouth-watering, fan favorite tenderloin steaks!" Joey's mouth watered, Ash grinned to the servings of steak and Tristan rubbed his hands in anticipation.

"Can't complain with this!" he sneered.

"Everyone ready!?" the announcer asked. Everyone grabbed forks and steak knives. "Set… GO!" As the eaters dug into their steaks, Mokuba spotted and came to a tall brunette in a white trench coat under a black suit.

"I was wondering where you left for," he mulled. Mokuba looked to the taller young man.

"Sorry, Seto," he apologized. "I ran a delivery to Solomon." This rose an eyebrow from Seto's face.

"Yugi's grandfather? Why there?"

"He ordered one for a new duelist named Ash Ketchum. He came from Goldenrod City and-" Seto stopped his feet and turned to Mokuba with a stern face

"Where did you say?" The look startled Mokuba.

"Goldenrod City. Anything special about it?"

"Other than it doesn't exist… Do you have anything to show otherwise?" Mokuba looked in his coat and pulled pictures of Chikorita and Cyndaquil.

"This could help…" Seto looked to the Pokémon shown. This gave him pause.

"These aren't Duel Monsters? They're… real?"

"And I had a chance to know them." Seto looked at the two Pokémon with more disbelief.

"A dimensional rift… No wonder I'm having a hard time accepting this claim." He handed the photos back to Mokuba.

"What do you mean by that, Seto?" The elder Kaiba closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"I need to see these… creatures… and the owner of them. If Pegasus gets wind of this, there's no question he'll make new Duel Monsters and complicate the game." Mokuba seemed perplexed with Seto's claim. "I'm nearing the completion of a new prototype. Now I need to know how these creatures found themselves in Domino City." To Mokuba, Seto wanted to see Chikorita and Cyndaquil.

"Do- Do you want me to bring one of them to show you?" Seto didn't answer.

"On second thought, I'll wait for this Ketchum to show at Industrial Illusions." This surprised Mokuba as he stopped and watched Seto go forward.

"Wait, why change your mind? You're not gonna duel Ash, are you?" Seto stopped for a moment and turned around.

"Anyone trained by Yugi is not someone to be taken lightly." Seto departed to a giant blue jet in the shape of a dragon. After getting clearance, Seto took off. Back at the restaurant, there was a countdown to the end.

"Five… Four…" the announcer counted. "Three… Two… One… That's it!" Looking, Joey and Tristan had their own looks of disbelief. After an hour, Joey had six plates of steak while Tristan had four. Ash matched both with ten. He had more plates on him than anyone else, some having two or three.

"And I was starting to slow down," he admitted. The waitresses lifted Ash off the chair and wove his arms in the air.

"In a landslide, he is our winner: Ash Ketchum!" the announcer declared. Hands forced to the air, Ash was crowned. "Ash, here's the grand prize: two free meals here! You can use them at anytime." Ash wondered about a specification.

"Does dessert count?"

"No, you still have to pay- HA HA! Of course, dessert's included." The announcer and Ash shook hands.

"He's smaller than us, and yet put our training on stake…" mulled Tristan.

"How much does he eat daily?" asked Joey. "It can't be more than the ten slabs." Reaching the rest, Yugi gave Ash a high-five.

"Not a bad performance out there!" he complimented. "Didn't grandpa make breakfast for you?" Ash itched his head.

"His energy must have been running low before the contest," Bakura joked.

"Hey, I get competitive in a contest I'm involved in," Ash clarified. "Even eating contests." Téa sighed and turned her head away.

"I heard that a way to a man's heart's through his stomach," she murmured. "If that's the case, I'd rather remain single for life." Serenity patted Ash on the head.

"Ash, maybe I can fix you something back home," she offered. "It'll help with digesting all that steak." Ash could only wonder about her idea.

"Hey, I did better than a lot of those who ate!" argued Tristan.

"You didn't beat me, Tristan," Joey pointed out. Just then, a limousine parked in front of the restaurant. On the side was a giant "I" with a small "2" at the foot. Immediately, Joey recognized the number and letter. "Industrial Illusions?" Quickly, Téa had an idea.

"How did Pegasus know of Pikachu or any of Ash's Pokémon so fast?" she wondered. A mustached, bald man in black stepped out of the driver's door, sunglasses over his eyes.

"I came for the boy and his mouse," he ordered. "Maximillion Pegasus has seen the arrivals and has interests in the two." This astounded the group.

"At least Pegasus just wants to see the Pokémon," Yugi believed. To Ash, it was a chance to see this place."

"What's Industrial Illusions?" he asked.

"They're the ones who created Duel Monsters, bringing them to life alongside the Duel Disks from Kaiba Corp."

"I see, so Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp are working hand-in-hand?"

"Pretty much. Though Kaiba is rather personal about his business so don't bring it up." Ash nodded to Yugi's advice.

("Seeing the creator sounds nice…") Pikachu squeaked. Ash and Pikachu entered the limousine. Yugi soon had a request.

"Say, is it alright if I come along?" he asked the bald man. He smiled.

"Yugi Muto…" he realized. "I'm sure Pegasus would like to see you as well." Rebecca got nervous.

"We'll catch up with you, soon," she promised. Yugi nodded tp the plan.

"Okay!" he accepted. The bald man closed the door after Ash, Yugi and Pikachu entered. They're heading to Industrial Illusions to see the man known as Pegasus. What Yugi doesn't know is the other visitor ready to make himself known.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. The Animated Duel

_Chapter 5: The Animated Duel_

* * *

Ash, Yugi and Pikachu rode in a limousine toward Industrial Illusions. Invited by Pegasus, the boys wondered what awaited them. "So are you familiar with this Pegasus?" asked Ash.

"I am," Yugi confirmed. "Though, the history between us isn't all that pleasing. Pegasus created Duel Monsters out of the game that was originally played 5,000 years ago in Egypt. While exploring, he somehow donned one of the seven Millennium Items: The Millennium Eye." Ash and Pikachu gawked to the explanation.

("Seven?") repeated Pikachu.

"The Millennium Eye allowed Pegasus to see beyond the naked eye," Yugi explained. "Luckily, he doesn't have it anymore when I reunited with him prior." The limousine stopped at a large fortress. It had a golden eye behind two "I" letters. Ash and Yugi exited the limousine with Pikachu hopping onto Ash's shoulder. They entered with the escort service. They stared at a staircase in the middle of the large foyer.

"Yugi-boy, I didn't expect you to show up," a young man called out. Looking to the top of the staircase, the boys found a white-haired man with part of his hair covering the left side of his face. He wore a red suit from neck to ankle.

"Pegasus…" greeted Yugi. Pegasus reached the bottom of the staircase to confront the boys.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're from a new cartoon that's about to air in the United States," he cooed to Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon blinked to the mentioning.

("A cartoon?") he squeaked. Pegasus now turned to Ash.

"And you must be the Ashy-boy that made the scene," he teased before offering a hand to shake.

"Someone else to call me by that," he murmured, shaking Pegasus' hand regardless.

"I'm merely trying to make a first impression," he pleaded. "Come with me. I'll show you what I have in mind." They followed Pegasus to an art room where various creatures and humans strewn the walls.

"No one said we'd be going to an art gallery," Ash awed. "You didn't do all of these, did you?"

"But of course, Ashy-boy!" confirmed Pegasus. "The inspiration from Egypt's past and imagination to build a card game has brought out some of the greatest of people. The worst have come, mostly gone… Now, I can expand my imagination. Will you help me, little mouse?" Pikachu wondered to Pegasus' request.

("Do you want me to pose?") he asked. Before Pegasus could guess, another bald man in sunglasses and black tuxedo entered.

"I'm sorry for intruding, Mister Pegasus!" he stammered. Everyone wondered about the interruption.

"What is it?" asked Pegasus.

"We have a new visitor, and he seems determined to see you!" The man stepped aside as Seto arrived. Yugi gasped to the new arrival.

"Kaiba!" he named.

"Yugi…" Seto muttered. "I guess my hunch was right. You'd be here with the new duelist." Pikachu shuttered nervously to Seto's appearance.

"My, my," Pegasus sneered. "Always wanting to make an impression, eh, Kaiba-boy? Of course, your behavior hasn't changed since Duelist Kingdom about Yugi-boy." To Ash, there was a history between the two.

"Sounds like a rivalry," he assumed.

"Ashy-boy, that's the understatement of the year. Yugi-boy and Kaiba-boy cannot stand each other. Both share conflicting philosophies about Duel Monsters: Kaiba-boy prefers the power that come from the cards…"

"And Yugi's preached me about the heart of them. I can see the differences, it's like beauty: inside versus outside." Pikachu awed the comparasion.

("You and Misty argued that one a lot,") he pointed out.

"It's never enough to find ways to humiliate me time and time again," Seto started to Yugi. "Now, you want to teach a child about the heart of the cards?" This triggered the Millennium Puzzle to react. It shook, glowing while Yugi gritted.

"YU-GI-OH!" he shouted. A bright golden glow blinded Ash and Pikachu for a brief moment. When they looked again, Yugi was a lot taller with his clothes adjusted to fit him. The new Yugi gazed at Seto with a stern look. Ash and Pikachu gawked to the new Yugi.

"Is it just me or has Yugi… evolved?" the trainer asked. "And I thought Pokémon could only do that!" Seto scowled to Yugi's new look.

"Kaiba, you didn't want to challenge Ash after his victory against Mako, right?" assumed Yugi, sounding older.

"I came after hearing about him in the first place, Yugi," Seto corrected. "Besides, I'm more interested in the creatures than the rookie runt."

"You may want to exercise caution. He may be a rookie, but he has potential."

"You'd say that about everyone you train, yet none have come close to a challenge against me."

"Be careful, Kaiba. You tend to overlook your opponents' hidden abilities like Pegasus. The only reason you've been successful so far…"

"I don't need lectures about your 'heart of the cards' business. Keep in mind, my Blue-Eyes have overcome a lot of obstacles… but they'll mean the most when you go down with your magicians… Pharaoh." Listening, Ash gulped to the title Seto offered.

"Pharaoh?" he whispered. "Is Yugi a… pharaoh? And what are pharaohs?" Pegasus clapped his hands together to reach the two.

"No surprise that there's no love-loss between you two," he explained. "Kaiba-boy, Yugi-boy… I appreciate the show you two want to give… but you see, the reason is that I want to see these creatures Ashy-boy brought over and picture in my head new Duel Monsters to illustrate." Yugi and Seto relented and turned to Pegasus who turned to Ash.

"Pegasus, Pharaoh and I would agree that new material to the game can improve the game's concept," Seto believed. Yugi turned to Seto, fascinated with his wording.

"It's rare that Kaiba and I will agree on a topic," he informed. "Ash, bring out the Pokémon for Pegasus to see." Ash nodded before throwing the balls up.

"Come on out, everyone!" he called out. When the balls opened, Ash's Pokémon emerged. Pegasus saw the creatures, awed with their appearances.

"Remarkable!" he cooed. "Truly remarkable!" Seto scoffed to the Pokémon.

"You need another eye, Pegasus," he muttered. "These are mere pets, not a real threat to anyone." Chikorita and Cyndaquil became scared with Seto's scorned face. Cyndaquil's back flared up, irking Seto. "An echidna… you don't see those in the wild." Pegasus petted Cyndaquil's head, calming the Pokémon down.

"Anyway, Ashy-boy…" he called. "Before we make those arrangements… how about a duel?" To Ash, this could prove to Seto about how he duels.

"Alright," he agreed. "I'm nowhere near Seto's or Yugi's strength but at least this will get both of them off my back." Agreeing, Pegasus led the rest into another large room. This one had a giant arena with a field like what he practiced with Yugi, except on a humongous scale.

"You still have the original holographic field, Pegasus?" scoffed Seto. "You seriously need an update."

"Kaiba-boy, you need to update that behavior a little," Pegasus retorted. "Get yourself a girlfriend or a wife, have a child to aid you in running Kaiba Corp." Seto seethed to the teasing.

"It's just like Mai said in my duel against Panik," Yugi assessed. Pikachu watched from his shoulder. "Psychology is half of the duel."

"You're missing the point," Seto growled. Ash entered the platform on one side. Pegasus stood across from him. Ash looked to the board before him.

"Oh, so I can see the cards Pegasus lays on the field instead of looking onto it," he viewed. "Still, this is one way to show the duel on a large scale before the Duel Disk. Anything you're working on for the game still?" Seto snickered to Ash's question.

"None of your business!" he replied.

"I see..." Ash sighed. "Let me know if I can help out!" Seto scoffed to his offer. Pegasus laid his cards down with Ash following. Four counters read "4,000" each. This confused Ash. "Wait, which one's mine?" The Pokémon watched from the balcony. Pegasus and Ash drew their cards.

"Let's duel!" they shouted. Pegasus spoke first.

"Ashy-boy, why don't you go first?" he offered.

"Alright," Ash accepted. "And I'll start with Wolf Axewielder!" Card on the field, a muscled man with red marks on his body appeared with a wooden shield, a huge ax and a gray wolf head emerged while also wearing a loincloth and fuzzy boots. Its Attack stood at 1,650 while Defense was at 1,000. "Next, I lay two cards face-down. You're up, Maxi." Pegasus drew a card from his deck.

"My turn," he agreed. "And I'll start with Toon Table of Contents!" He laid a card on the field where Ash saw and blinked. The Spell card had a book with "INDEX" flying off the page. "Toon Table of Contents allows me to draw a card with Toon in the name. And I choose and use Toon World!" He pulled a card from his deck and laid it on the field in place of Toon Table of Contents. The new Spell Card was another book with a haunting village popping out. Pegasus' score fell from 4,000 to 3,000. "I pay 1,000 Life Points for activating Toon World, but it's worth it. In addition, I now summon Toon Goblin Attack Force!" The card emerged as a goofy green goblin wielding a heavily spiked bat. Its Attack was a staggering 2,300 but it had no Defense. "Since I just summoned him, I cannot attack until the next turn. Instead, I'll lay one card face-down and end my turn." Ash drew his next card.

"I see… Toon Goblin Attack Force can't attack on the same turn as it's summoned. Well, in that case… I summon Toon Alligator in Defense Mode!" With the card placed, Toon Alligator entered on guard.

"You have a Toon Alligator, too!? That is indeed special!" From the balcony, Seto nodded to Ash's placement.

"Smart move," he murmured. Yugi nodded to the move as well.

"Indeed," he confirmed. "Summoning Toon Alligator protects him from Pegasus' Toon Monster's special ability of direct attacking." Ash placed one more card face-down.

"That should do it," Ash finished. Pegasus drew his next card.

"I must say, Ashy-boy," he smiled. "Having Toon Alligator on the field has a good chance to throw off my game. Even if I do attack, I need another Toon, but then, I need to wait until my next turn to attack. Still, my Toon Goblin Attack Force will bring you to your knees. Go, Toon Goblin Attack Force! Attack his Toon Alligator!" The goblins raced after Toon Alligator when Ash snickered.

"Sometimes, a well-placed Magic Card works as well as a trap. I play The Reliable Guardian!" Ash flipped over a card revealing a man holding a shield up while the other arm had a sword down. "The Reliable Guardian raises my monster's Defense by 700. Should be enough to save Toon Alligator." Ash's goofy reptile's Defense rose to 2,300. The Toon Goblin Attack Force and Toon Alligator collided but no outcome occurred. Both monsters stayed alive.

"Rats!" No change to either score and Toon Goblin Attack Force huddled to guarding. Pegasus continued with his turn. "I summon Toon Masked Sorcerer in Attack mode!" Card in place, a cartoon-like boy in purple and with red hair and wearing a blue mask appeared. Its Attack stood at 900 but Defense was at 1,400. Seeing the new creature, Ash chuckled as Seto and Yugi studied the battle.

"So that's Pegasus' plan," Yugi realized. "If Toon Alligator is out of the picture, Pegasus can directly attack."

"Seems easy to do," Seto muttered. Ash drew a card.

"Seeing that Toon Masked Sorcerer reminds me of a cartoon I saw before I became a trainer," he brought up. "The Houndoo Mysteries were always fun to watch, although I never got one of the villains right."

"I think I know what you're talking about in a sense," Pegasus addressed. "Even as a child, you still admire the old cartoons. Those were the golden times." Ash prepared to move.

"I summon Amazoness Fighter in Attack Mode!" Card placed, a muscular woman in a ragged teal brassier and loincloth showed up. Her Attack was at 1,500 and Defense close by at 1,300. "Now, Wolf Axewielder! Carve up Toon Goblin Attack Force!" The wolfman slashed at Toon Goblin Attack Force, cutting it to ribbons. Since it switched to Defense Mode, Pegasus' Life Points wasn't touched… yet. "Amazoness Fighter, slug one into Toon Masked Sorcerer!" The woman threw an uppercut toward Toon Masked Sorcerer.

"Not so fast, Ashy-boy!" Flipping a Trap Card over revealed a book attacked to a chain. "Toon Defense! You target my Toon, and now I can redirect you like this!" The woman flew to Pegasus who took the uppercut. His Life Points fell in half: 3,000 to 1,500. Ash gritted the chance to end the cartoon-like defense.

"Your go…" Pegasus drew once more.

"Let's start with Pot of Greed and draw two cards." He showed Pot of Greed before drawing again. "Next, I play Snatch Steal!" He revealed a magic card with one man stealing a bag from another man. "I can control one of your monsters, but you'll be compensated… and I'll take your Toon Alligator!" Ash watched helplessly as his Toon Alligator came to Pegasus' side.

"Now Ash is defenseless," gritted Yugi.

"Now I summon Toon Cannon Soldier in Attack Mode!" Card laid, a purple man-like tank appeared with a goofy face. Its Attack was at 1,400 and Defense at 1,300. "While I can't use Toon Cannon Soldier to attack, my Toon Masked Sorcerer can go after you directly!" In a flash, Toon Masked Sorcerer appeared and fired a bolt of lightning that struck Ash, his first damage of the duel as his Life Points fell from 4,000 to 3,100. "I should also remember that since Toon Masked Sorcerer damaged you, I get to draw one card." Pegasus did draw a card from his deck. "Now, I can sacrifice your Toon Alligator for more, thanks to Toon Cannon Soldier's Special Ability." Toon Alligator became ink before getting loaded into the cannon. It pointed the cannon and fired at Ash. Hit, Ash's Life Points fell to 2,600. "I lay two more cards face-down and end my turn." Ash drew the next card.

"Let's see…" he mumbled. "I'll start with Amazoness Tiger in Attack Mode!" Card laid, the Tiger appeared. "Now, I'm gonna try something unique." He brought out Polymerization.

"This should be fun…"

"It's something I wanted to try. Now, I play Polymerization! I fuse Amazoness Tiger and Fighter..." The two swirled for a little while. "Together, they become… Amazoness Pet Liger!" When it emerged, a white cross of lion and tiger emerged wearing blue spiked armor. Its Attack stood at 2,500 while Defense wasn't far off at 2,400. "How's that?"

"Clever… or it would be…" Pegasus turned over another Trap Card with a green cyclops falling into a red void. "Bottomless Trap Hole! Forget your Liger going into your graveyard, it's gone from the game!" A red hole opened up beneath Liger who fell in. Ash gulped before remembering his wolfman.

"Well, at least I can do this: Wolf Axewielder! Attack his Toon Cannon Soldier!" The wolfman sliced appart Toon Cannon Soldier quickly. Pegasus' Life Points fell from 1,500 to 1,250. "And that'll do it for me." Pegasus drew a card before smiling.

"First, I'll attack you once more!" Toon Masked Sorcerer flew to Ash again with another blast of lightning, knocking his Life Points to 1,700. "Now, allow me to sacrifice Toon Masked Sorcerer for a new Spellcaster: Toon Dark Magician Girl!" Toon Masked Sorcerer flashed a light. When it dimmed, a girl looking like Dark Magician Girl appeared. Seeing Ash, the little Dark Magician Girl awed and grew admiration with hearts in her eyes. Like Dark Magician Girl, she had 2,000 Attack and 1,600 Defense. "I lay one more card face-down before ending my turn." Ash drew a card and stared at it for a minute, then the rest of his hand.

"I lay one card face-down down. It's all I can do." This allowed Pegasus to draw one more card.

"Allow me to finish it, Ashy-boy! Toon Dark Magician Girl, end the duel!" The giddy girl raced after Ash, but he had a Trap on hand.

"Joey, thanks for the opportunity… I activate Kunai with Chain!" Ash flipped the card to show a forked steel blade to a chain. "Since I'm the target of this, I can use this to snare Toon Dark Magician Girl and put her on defense." The kunai on a chain flew out at Toon Dark Magician Girl and appeared to start wrapping her up.

"Even without the Millennium Eye, I can see your strategy. I play Solemn Judgment!" Pegasus flipped his card over where an old man with a large beard waived his arm out. "I lose half of my Life Points but it denies and destroys your Kunai with Chain! So much for that 'last gasp'." The chain vanished and Toon Dark Magician Girl reached Ash to give him a series of smooches before one huge lip-to-lip kiss. She pulled his face from his head, stretching the kiss literally as his Life Points fell to zero while Pegasus' only fell to 725. After the smother, Ash fell onto his back.

"For a hologram, that sure felt life-like…" Yugi and Seto surveyed the duel.

"Ash may have lost, but I see potential in his dueling," Seto weighed.

"He still has a long way to go," Yugi murmured. "Kaiba, he's not ready for the likes of you… yet." Seto bowed his head.

"At least we can agree to that assessment." The boys and Pokémon gathered back in the art room where Ash handed Pegasus a red handheld device.

"This is my PokéDex," Ash offered.

"I see…" Pegasus hummed. "So in here is an encyclopedia of Pokémon… I feel fascinated to look through and develop ideas to expand the game." Ash nodded to Pegasus' plans. "You don't mind if I borrow it? I'll make sure it's charged before you find your way back."

"Not at all. I'm sure you'll come up with many more Duel Monsters on hand. Still wish that Toon Dark Magician Girl didn't kiss me. For a holographic image, that kiss felt pretty real." To Seto, it's not something he would care for.

"It seems as though you've never been kissed before," he scoffed. "Not that I care to find out." Seto set himself to leave.

"Heading back to your headquarters, Kaiba?" asked Yugi.

"If you know where I'm going, why bother asking?" His parting shot made, Seto walked out.

"Talk about priorities…" Ash muttered.

("And his isn't meant for us,") Chikorita squealed. After recalling his Pokémon, Ash and Pikachu left Industrial Illusions with Yugi after reverting back to his smaller self.

"So, you can take the form of the Pharaoh?" he asked Yugi.

"Right, he and I share the same body," Yugi explained. "This is what happens when I solved the Millennium Puzzle and awoke a 5,000-year-old spirit."

("Not as intimidating as Kaiba was,") Pikachu squeaked. As they walked into Domino City, Ash spotted Mai crossing the street, the walking sign lit. She walked across the street when Ash spotted a speeding semi, not stopping. There wasn't a driver in the seat. In a flash, Ash sprinted out to the street.

"Mai!" he cried out. All his speed, Ash reached and tackled Mai back to the sidewalk as Joey, Téa, Tristan and Serenity saw while the truck rolled through the intersection without stopping. Yugi ran to the other side to check on Ash and Mai.

"You two okay!?" he shouted.

"Boy, that was close," Tristan gulped. "Did the driver pass out!?" Mai saw who saved her from the semi.

"I thought Joey would do this," she cooed as she used both hands to grab Ash's head. "But I don't mind it being you." She pulled Ash in and locked his lips. Yugi, Téa, Joey and Tristan gawked to the sight as Mai worked her tongue around Ash cheeks.

"SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTT!" screeched Joey.

"That was deserving," Serenity awed. After a minute, they broke lips for Ash helped Mai to her feet.

"I know Ash did save her bacon, but don't you think Mai's a bit too old for him?" asked Joey. Téa gawked before bringing out a mallet and crushing his head.

"Rule of advice, Wheeler!" she snapped. "Never mention a woman's age in public!" Tristan seemed indifferent to the ordeal.

"Maybe Joey could take Ash's steps if Mai wants a Wheeler in the future," he mentioned. Téa cocked and swung her mallet again, smashing Tristan's head.

"Inappropriate, especially in front of Serenity!" she snapped again.

"Yeah, that was a bit much to say, Tristan," Yugi agreed. Serenity came to Ash's side.

"I'm glad everyone's okay," she sighed. "I did want to come by with a request before the shenanigans occurred." Pikachu wanted to know after crawling back onto Ash's shoulder.

("What is it?") he questioned.

"And that's who I wanted to ask about," Serenity pointed. Pikachu gasped in delight before jumping into her arms.

"I see, you wanted to take care of Pikachu," Ash concluded.

"I did. Can I? Please?" Ash laughed to her request.

"Of course!" Serenity and Pikachu giggled before heading out.

"Thanks! See you tomorrow!" With Pikachu on her shoulder, Serenity headed home, leaving her brother to deal with his pain.

"Bulbasaur enjoyed my spot," Mai shared. "I'm sure you'll like it, too. Besides, I've had my eye on you since you saw me extinct Rex's dinosaurs." Ash accepted as Yugi and Téa watched.

"Well, I'm glad that all worked out," Yugi giggled. "Though, Kaiba has Ash in his radar." Téa blinked and turned to Yugi.

"Kaiba visited?" she wondered.

"He did. Seems he was about as curious about Ash's Pokémon, as well as Pegasus." Now, Téa shuttered.

"Ash isn't ready for Kaiba, and I doubt he'll ever be." To Yugi, he didn't see a struggling duelist.

"Maybe, Téa… but he has a combination that could stop Kaiba. The question is… should he face him, can he bring it out?" Ash may be around but what else could Domino City offer for Ash and his Pokémon? And what Duel Monsters could Pegasus create from the PokéDex?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. Rolling Dukes

_Chapter 6: Rolling Dukes_

* * *

The morning rose in Mai's apartment where she and Ash slept. She woke to the sun, still snuggling to him while in a silky nightgown, and petted his hair _'How I wish you were more to Joey's age,'_ she thought. _'Maybe then, we could be dating and then some.'_ Nevertheless, she leaned above Ash's face and kissed his eyelid. The kiss woke Ash up. He looked up to see Mai. He looked perplexed.

"Hey," he moaned. Mai smiled and hugged him. "How'd I wind up here?"

"I brought you in here, I felt so alone." Ash seemed at ease now. The two got dressed before leaving the apartment which Ash had a review. "With those fragrances, its no wonder Bulbasaur felt so assured in your arms."

"When you've experimented with fragrances, there's a chance you'll come across an alluring scent that no man, or in your case a woman, can resist. Might work the same for Pokémon."

"I'd rather meet them naturally." Yugi and his friends soon found the two starting to journey away.

"Morning, you two!" greeted Serenity as Pikachu leaped to greet him in the morning.

("Hey, Ash!") he squeaked.

"Looks like you and Mai are hitting it off," Joey joked. "Not too shabby for…" Joey suddenly stopped when he sensed Téa's stern look.

"Anyway, after Cyndaquil and Pikachu," Serenity started. "I may have more appreciation for Pokémon than I do Duel Monsters." Ash sensed Serenity's enjoyment. "Heck, I would want to take care of them if I could!"

"Hey, anyone who likes and wants to take care of Pokémon is more than welcomed to have one courtesy of Professors Oak and Elm," Ash offered. "Heck, you'd be a great help to Nurse Joy!" Serenity and Pikachu giggled to the idea.

"I'd say you two could work out as a couple," Téa sneered. Ash smiled to the thought.

"You think so?" he believed. Tristan and Duke didn't like the development.

"If there's anyone who deserves Serenity more than anyone, I haven't met him!" the brunette scowled.

"Man, I've never seen a blinder man in my life," Joey scoffed. "He's standing right there!" Even Mai shook her head to Tristan's outburst.

"You have no idea how to treat a lady, Taylor," she teased. Tristan seemed angered to the pairing and support. Duke decided to side with Tristan in a sense.

"I got this one, Tristan," he advised. Tristan looked to Duke, wondering his plan. "If you're in position to get Serenity, I've got a few things in mind… like how to beat you in Duel Monsters, Duke Devlin-Style!" Ash blinked to the warning, but Pikachu wasn't so calm.

("If Ash can't be near Serenity…") the Mouse Pokémon squeaked. ("You'll also keep us away, huh!?") While not understanding Pikachu, they did sense his concern.

"Way to go, Tristan," Joey scolded. "Now you got Pikachu acting defensive!"

"Hey, don't blame me!" snapped Tristan. "Go after Duke as well!" After a bit of arguing, all entered a similar holographic arena like Pegasus. Ash and Pikachu stood on one side while Duke was on the other.

"Here, I reign this game: Dungeon Dice Monsters," Duke claimed. "Unlike Duel Monsters, we use dice, not cards. You'll see the counters and setup a little different." Looking at the grid, Ash saw all black. There were also three hearts illuminating on each side. "The object of Dungeon Dice Monsters is to eliminate your opponent's three hearts. Pending your rolls of the die, you can summon, move, attack, defend, use a spell or a trap." Ash seemed ready to try Dungeon Dice Monsters, but Pikachu jumped onto the board.

("This is for Serenity!") he argued. To Ash, Pikachu's ready.

"Duke, shall we?" he asked. Duke nodded.

"Let's duel!" they declared.

"I'll go first," Duke offered. "That way, you'll understand how the game works." Two red and one white die emerged from a chute and Duke picked them up. "Now go! Dice roll!" The dice rattled before resting. The white dice had swords up while the two red dice had four stars up. "Nice, Now I get to summon a monster since I have matching Summon crests." Taking one, he inserted the die into his grid by his side. The die appeared on the board. "Now watch as I summon Parrot Dragon!" The die opened to a three-by-two which had red panels on it. What appeared from the die was a green parrot with dragon scales and a tail of a dragon. It also had red feathers for hair. It had the following stats: 10/10/10.

"Wait, what's with those stats of tens?" asked Ash.

"The stats are as follows: The top '10' is the monster's health. The middle '10' is the Attack and the last '10' is the Defense. If you beat the monster's health, they're destroyed."

"But it doesn't affect the Hearts on our bases, right?"

"See… you're starting to learn." As Ash received three die of his own, Rebecca came to see the ordeal.

"Yugi!" she cheered. The hug got the attention of everyone who watched.

"Again!?" snapped Téa. Rebecca suddenly noticed the rest.

"Well, it wouldn't be his gang without Téa or Tristan… You guys watching a duel?"

"Hey, you come in and hug Yugi before you question what we're spectating!" snapped Téa.

"Besides, we're watching Ash and Duke in a Dungeon Dice Monsters duel," Joey explained. A white and two green die emerged, signaling Ash's turn as he spotted the cubes. However, Pikachu picked up the die and threw them.

("Let's roll!") he snapped. The white dice landed on pentagram while one green dice landed on one star and the other landed on four stars. ("Alright!") Duke shook his head.

"Not Pika," he denied.

("Wait, what!?")

"Not only do you need two Summon Crest but they need to match. You rolled a Level 1 and Level 4." Pikachu smacked his head for the mistake. "However, you did roll a Spell Crest, which you can store in your Crest Pool." Ash moved the white die to the pentagram slot while dropping the others into a different chute. Three new die emerged on Duke's side. He picked it up before throwing.

"Go, dice roll!" Three white die tumbled before resting with one arrow and two three-star. "Another summon and a Move Crest. Now, I can make another summon!" He inserted the die which unfolded into an upside-down L. Now I summon a favorite from Mai: Dunames Dark Witch!" Emerging was Dunames Dark Witch with new stats, all with "20" marks. "That's all I'm gonna do. I'll save my moves until there's a path." With Ash's turn, a white and two blue die came out.

"Let me try, Pikachu," he explained. Ash picked the die before tossing them. "Go, dice roll!" The roll had a shield on white and two four-star on the blue. "Alright!" Duke nodded, believing Ash's roll.

"See… that's how you roll." Ash picked the dice and formed an upside-down "T" from his base. "Allow me to summon… Celtic Guardian!" Emerging was an elf wearing green armor and wielding a sword. It had 10 HP, 20 Attack and 20 Defense.

"Let me share you a little beauty about Dungeon Dice Monsters that differs from Duel Monsters: Unlike in Duel Monsters, Dungeon Dice Monsters allows you to summon as many monsters as you please, as long as you can make a boundary of six like the die you roll." A new set of three came out for Duke: one white and two yellow. He threw them. "Go, dice roll!" His roll had one three-star, one trapdoor, and one pentagram. "Well, this roll didn't get what I needed but it does give me a spell and trap crest which I'll put in my pool." Ash it's Ash's turn, Téa wondered about Mai's night.

"So, did Ash have a nice time sleeping at your place last night?" she asked.

"He did, especially after I found a way into my bed," Mai cooed. Téa, Serenity and Rebecca gawked to the adult's action.

"You did WHAT!?" they screeched.

"Well, he wanted to sleep on the sofa so I let him… and then I hired a couple of Pegasus' henchmen carry his sleeping body to my bed where we snuggled all night. I'm surprised he didn't wake when they dragged him to bed. Then again, the fragrances flowing in my room may have kept him relaxed." The girls shuttered to the thought. Duke rolled three red die.

"Go, dice roll!" he chanted. He rolled two swords and an arrow. "Can't do anything but advance my Dunames Dark Witch up a space." Dunames Dark Witch moved up to the edge. Ash's turn. He had two blue and one black. He picked up the die and threw it.

"Go, dice roll!" The tumble lasted two seconds but when it stopped, the black had a trapdoor and the two blue had matching four-star faces. Yugi saw the black die and warned the friend.

"Ash, you can set that on the field!" he advised. "That's a rare die that you can set!" Ash looked to the die and quickly inserted it at the middle of the field, a small beacon on Ash's grid showing.

"Setting something up, huh?" wondered Duke. As the two rolled die, more of Ash's blue panels and Duke's red panels emerged. None were in a straight line more than four at a time with a lineup of monsters appearing until Duke's reached Ash's panels. Their fleet of monsters could now attack. Leading was Dunames Dark Witch and Parrot Dragon while Celtic Guardian led a group of Ash's monsters. Duke rolled a yellow and white arrow while a yellow shield. "Dunames Dark Witch, go after Battle Steer!" Dunames Dark Witch was within three spaces of a bull wearing a blue loincloth and red cape while holding a trident. With one space, Ash grinned.

"And right into my trap!" he sneered as he hit the panel. "Exploding Disc!" A disc popped out and blew up. When the smoke cleared, Dunames Dark Witch disappeared.

"Whoa, when did you get that?"

"A lucky roll. Exploding Disc deals 20 damage. Since Dunames Dark Witch had 20 HP… well, you know the rest." Duke cringed at losing Dunames Dark Witch. Now, Ash rolled two green and one red die. Arrows emerged on all three… and Ash saw Parrot Dragon ahead. "Go, Battle Steer! Attack Parrot Dragon!" Battle Steer charged before skewering Parrot Dragon, the defeated monster breaking apart. The battle continued as a blue penguin with shoulder pads and a large sword was by Ash's base.

"Penguin Soldier, take out his heart!" Penguin Soldier leaped and slashed a heart on Ash's base, shutting it down. Ash gritted with Pikachu as new die rolled his way: two red and one blue.

"Two can play this! Go, dice roll!" His die had all arrows. Still, Penguin Soldier was directly diagonally across from a blond man in silver armor. "Freed, take out Penguin Soldier!" A sword in hand and a space up, Freed slashed Penguin Soldier, destroying it. Open spaces began running out with the red and blue panels filling up. Ash managed to get Dark Magician Girl to Duke's base. "Dark Magician Girl, blast that heart out! Dark Burning Attack!" Dark Magician Girl fired hearts at the base, taking out a heart. Ash cheered but the battle didn't look to favor him.

"Looks like you got one of my hearts… But I'm about to take the match." Ash had one heart left and a black anthropomorphic panther wearing a cape and a huge curved sword stood alone for several spaces. Ash wasn't going to win. Duke rolled once more, a yellow and two green die tossed. It rolled two swords from one green and the yellow, and a shield from the other green. "And this will seal the game! Panther Warrior, slash the last heart out with your Panther Sword!" The panther lunged at Ash's base where he and Pikachu saw him cut the last heart out. "And that's the game!" Ash and Pikachu slumped as the holographic monsters vanished. Yugi and his friends, who cheered for Ash, groaned to his loss.

"Not everyone can be as skilled as Yugi," Rebecca sighed.

"That may be true," Téa agreed. "Though, Ash does quickly learn." Duke, Ash and Pikachu came off the bases to meet each other.

"You know, if you didn't reach my base and take out one of my hearts," Duke smiled. "I would've made you wear that dog costume I made Joey wear." Hearing him, Serenity got a little irate.

"You did what!?" gawked Serenity. Duke jumped in surprise. "How could you!?" Duke seemed shocked at the shout.

"Now, here me out, Serenity… we had a wager if he beat me to-"

"That's enough!" She walked out to her anger, which seemed rather unusual to everyone.

"That doesn't happen often," Joey gulped. "Serenity's usually mellow."

"Bringing up something like might have been too embarrassing," Téa realized. "Guess it shows there's a breaking point to everyone."

("I guess so,") Pikachu agreed. After the day, Ash returned to Yugi's home where he started to snooze. Downstairs, Yugi and Solomon wondered about Ash.

"He's certainly knowing the ropes about the game you play," Solomon noticed.

"He's learning at a pretty fast pace, Grandpa," Yugi nodded. "Seeing him summon Dark Magician Girl in Dungeon Dice Monsters, I almost want to give him her to put in his deck."

"Now why would you want to do that? You have her and Dark Magician, you don't need to split them!"

"Like I said… almost!" As the grandfather and grandson laugh, a blond young woman entered Ash's blankets to snuggle with him. Clothes of what seemed like what Dark Magician Girl wore laid near Ash's as she wrapped her arms around him, her emerald green eyes gazing at Ash before kissing him on the cheek.

"My master can let this go tonight… just for you…" she whispered. A card on Yugi's deck was blank. As for Pikachu, Rebecca brought him over to her home as she removed her glasses.

"I'll admit," she spoke to Pikachu. "Ash is alright… Sure, he's no Yugi, but I can have a good time if I ask Ash out once."

("What do you mean?") squeaked Pikachu. Rebecca petted the Pokémon before having another question.

"What can he teach me about Pokémon that college can't?" Pikachu could answer but decided not to. Still, she gave Pikachu a kiss to the cheek, causing the Mouse Pokémon to squeal happily. Rebecca blushed while giggling. "Goodnight, Pikachu."

("Night, Rebecca.") The two fell asleep in a minute under the covers. While Rebecca has questions, what else will Ash answer to?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Underwood Tactics

_Chapter 7: Underwood Tactics_

* * *

The sun rose to a new day in Domino City. Rebecca had Pikachu over for the night while Ash got someone in his loaned bed. Ash began to wake up with an unusual feeling on his lower body.

"What is…" he moaned. "Why's my leg wet?" That's when he felt breathing. Looking, he found Dark Magician Girl… and began to freak out. He felt her arms and legs wrapped around his body as she softly snoozed. Ash also felt her skin from her chest to her legs. One conclusion came to his mind. _'Whoever she is… she's naked. This is the first time I've slept with a girl, let alone… feeling everything!'_ Dark Magician Girl woke up, her smiling face on Ash's awkward look.

"Good morning, cutie," she cooed before leaning over and giving Ash a kiss, her lips sealing his and her tongue scraping around the insides of his cheeks. Just then, Yugi woke to find the trainer in bed with the blond young woman.

"Da- Dark…"he stuttered in thought. "Dark Magician Girl!?"The blond girl heard Yugi and gasped. Just as the young men discovered her, she vanished into thin air. The two were still in huge shock at what just happened.

"Dark Magician Girl?" he gulped. Feeling saturation, Ash threw his blankets up, sky blue boxers on his waist. His left leg was soaking wet. "Okay… she was in bed with me!" Yugi fetched a towel for Ash to dry his leg. "I felt everything: her tongue, her legs, her chest…" He shivered at the feel of Dark Magician Girl's body. After sometime, Solomon fed the two breakfast before stepping out. Yugi left where the older voice echoed.

" _If that was Dark Magician Girl, how did she materialize into real life?"_ he asked.

"That's a good question," Yugi wondered. "An inner will?" Ash walked out to see Rebecca with Pikachu on her shoulder.

"Ash!" she shouted as she waived.

("Over here!") squeaked Pikachu. Ash came to the two for Pikachu to leap onto Ash's shoulder.

"Hey, Pikachu!" he welcomed. "Had fun with Rebecca?" Pikachu giggled to the question.

"Thanks to having Pikachu for the night, I might be considering having a pet," Rebecca teased. "Can I ask if you can have a Pokémon as a pet?" Ash laughed to her question.

"Of course. With Pokémon, they can help you with what you need. Heck, my mom's got a Mr. Mime to help keep the house tidy." Rebecca blinked in confusion.

"A Mr… what now?"

"I could show you, but Pegasus has my Dex so it may take a while before he gets back to me."

"So that's what happened at Industrial Illusion?" Before Ash could answer.

"There you are!" shouted Rex. Ash, Rebecca and Pikachu turned ahead to see Mai's opponent. "And it seems like Miss Valentine wasn't enough to mother you." Ash and Pikachu growled to the taunt.

"Rex Raptor…" Rebecca snarled. Rex seemed to have noticed the new addition.

"I had no idea you're on a date with Rebecca Hawkins. What, did she get sick of Yugi?" Ash stepped forward after hearing Rex's insults.

"Look, Rex," he started. "What she does is none of your business." Rex felt empowered by Ash's retort.

"So, the young knight is ready to defend her damsel in distress. It's gonna take a little more than courage to stop the Jurassic rampage… at least from one." To Ash, Rex wanted a rematch with Mai.

"You referring to your match with Mai that I happened to walk into? Keep in mind, I had no idea about your card game and just learned from that point on." Rex seemed ready to duel when…

"Hold on, Dino breath," a nasalizing voice called out. Rex turned to a cyan-haired young man with glasses, his hair looking like an umbrella. He wore a green button-down shirt with a beetle design and shorts but most notably were his gold circular glasses. "This boy seems right up my alley for my bugs." Ash gulped to the new arrival as Rebecca also recognized him.

"Weevil Underwood," she identified.

"Sounds like bad news," Ash assumed. Weevil snickered to Ash's assessment.

"Oh, please…" he scoffed. "Those who come unprepared are caught in my web. Besides… I heard you dueled Pegasus."

"And lost but I did give him a run for his money."

"That means you're skilled. And worthy of dueling me. I got myself a few cards I wanted to try out, and you'll be the perfect test subject!" Ash didn't budge. Weevil's deck came out of one pocket but he couldn't find another item. "Shoot! I forgot my coin!" Rex dug in his pocket and pulled a silver coin.

"You gave it to me for safe keeping," he reminded.

"Right, appreciate the reminder…" Duel Disks fitting on wrists, Ash and Weevil's Life Points lit at 4,000. Decks inserted into their slots, each drew five cards.

"Let's duel!" they shouted. A crowd started to gather as Pikachu jumped onto Rebecca's shoulder. Meantime, two adults and a white cat emerged. The two adults wore white with red "R" emblems on it.

"Now where are we?" asked the cat with the same Brooklyn accent as Joey. Speaking of, his sister got to Rebecca's side where Pikachu leaped to her shoulder.

"I'm not sure," the ice-violet-haired man shrugged. "I want to say it's part of Goldenrod City…" He wore a full white uniform with black gloves and boots.

"Maybe part of the suburbs?" guessed the redhead. She wore longer boots, up to her thighs and a miniskirt. Her hair looked to be in a wave. That's when they spotted the duel occurring, more recognizing Ash, "It's the twerp!" When they peered behind Ash, they also spotted Rebecca and Serenity backing him up.

"Seems de twerp has some Meowsies beside him," the cat studied. "Dat redhead twerpette seems better dan dat other redhead twerpette."

"I'm more interested with those creatures and what the twerp's playing, Meowth," the redhead wondered. The ice-violet-haired looked at the field between Ash and Weevil.

"Looks to me like a card game, Jessie," he assessed. To Jessie, a memory entered her mind.

"If cards games are a thing, they need to be aware of the queen of card games. I mastered a handful as a child!" Meowth and the ice-violet-haired blinked to her claim.

"Youse into cards?" guessed the cat.

"No one could stand up to War or 52-Pickup! I found ways to win those games and no one could do a thing about it!" She cackled as Meowth and the ice-violet-haired groaned.

"I see dat as doing chores, not being queen of something," Meowth muttered.

"And here I was, thinking she dominated Blackjack," the ice-violet-haired sighed. Weevil sneered to his cards.

"Maybe it's time to face the web of defeat," he declared. "I play this: Jirai Gumo in Attack Mode!" On the field was a large brown spider with an faded orange abdomen and legs. While its Defense was at a horrid 100, its Attack was at a frightening 2,200. Ash had a blond man wielding a sword with an Attack of 1,700. "So much for your Neo. Jirai Gumo, attack!" Ash saw something and wasted no time pointing it out.

"Hold on, Weevil!" he called out. "Did you forget that Jirai Gumo has a special ability? When you declare an attack with Jirai Gumo, you need to flip a coin." Weevil's laugh irritated the girls.

"Thanks for reminding me, street rat! If I call it wrong, I lose half of my Life Points." He brought out the coin Rex handed over. "But a right call, and nothing but your Life Points go down. I'll be calling heads!" Weevil flipped the coin in the air. Just as it began its decent, Pikachu leaped off Rebecca's shoulder and slapped the coin to Ash with his tail. "Hey, no fair! I demand a new flip!" The coin fell into Ash's hand where he looked to the coin. A twitch from his wrist flipped the coin over to the other side. He saw something and gave Weevil a mean look.

"No wonder you seemed confident in flipping the coin." He held the coin up with his thumb and index finger. The coin faced Heads. "And with that powerful Jirai Gumo…" He turned the coin over, also showing Heads. "You didn't want to take a chance." Weevil got upset at being found out about the two-headed coin,

"Like it matters! Either way, you're still taking-"

"Enough!" shouted Seto. All startled and looked around. Out of nowhere, Seto appeared. He didn't look too happy.

"Kaiba?" gulped Ash. Seto turned to Ash first with Serenity gripping onto Pikachu. Ash felt that he may have committed a violation.

"The coin…" he demanded. Ash tossed the coin to Kaiba who effortlessly caught it. He had his own scope on the two-headed coin. Turning, he saw Jirai Gumo in play. "Now I see… It doesn't help that these two have been on my radar for awhile now. This stunt is not going unpunished. Also, this duel's over." Rex and Weevil gulped before the former made a new claim. Neo and Jirai Gumo vanished.

"Hold on, Kaiba!" pleaded Rex. "Weevil didn't have a coin! I gave him the two-headed one by mistake!" To Rebecca, that was a lie.

"Didn't you say that you held onto Weevil's coin when you handed it back to him?" she recalled. Seto wove his hand up.

"For repeated violations, you two will go under indefinite suspensions!" he yelled. Weevil and Rex gasped at the announcement. The two collapsed at the news that they won't be dueling for some time. Seto now turned to Ash. "You win the duel by disqualification. I doubt you'll be that lucky when you duel me." He threw the coin back to Ash, now crushed and bent. He walked away, leaving Ash and Pikachu deterred.

"I'm glad it wasn't us," Ash sighed.

("Tell me about it,") Pikachu gulped. Serenity patted Ash on the free shoulder as Rebecca stood by his side. Jessie, Meowth and the ice-violet-haired gawked to the judgment.

"That guy's savage," the ice-violet-haired muttered.

"No kidding, James," Jessie agreed. "Though, I think we could help the two twerps out. They're just as villainous as we are." Meowth sensed a problem.

"We can't!" he mewed. "Dat big twerp will have our wringers!" Jessie didn't believe Seto was a problem.

"He'll be the one paying us for all we're gonna do to him," she sneered. Back at Yugi's home, the group learned about Weevil's and Rex's fates.

"So the two can't duel for sometime?" guessed Téa.

"Seto did say indefinite suspensions for both Rex and Weevil," Ash reviewed.

"Not saying they don't deserve this reversal of fortune," Joey grunted. "But in all seriousness, it's about time for all the dirty tricks they've done to us."

"By the way, did you have the lead when Kaiba called it off?" asked Tristan.

"No, but not by much, only 100 Life Points between us when he summoned Jirai Gumo," Ash added. "Believe me, if Misty saw those cards, she'd run and won't stop." Téa sneered at the plight.

"Despite them being only holograms, she won't stay still," she huffed. "Sucks to be her. By the way, Pikachu's with Serenity again?"

"She can't get enough of him,"Ash admitted.

"I don't blame her," Joey nodded. "Pikachu's a real chick magnet."

"That's for sure," Tristan agreed. "But don't sleep on Ash. Girls at school want to see him and his Pokémon." Aside from Ash, the rest laughed. What does Jessie, James and Meowth want with Weevil and Rex? Are Yugi's friends in trouble?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…

(Thanks for your wishes after the passing of my grandmother. She was a strong woman. Also, I want to give my condolences to the family of the legendary Stan Lee. His legacy will forever be honored. Lastly, this story will be on hiatus until the start of 2019. After the next chap Pokéotic, I'll be starting AshMas 8.)


	8. Mai Heart's On You

_Chapter 8: Mai Heart's On You_

* * *

It was the new day. Mai showered and got dressed. She had an agenda. As she found her boots, she also discovered a photograph on the ground. "What's this?" she asked. Picking it up, she discovered a picture of Ash, Misty, Brock and the Pokémon along with a curly brunette in a pile. "Ash must've dropped this during his-" She saw something that gave her pause. Suddenly, she let out a wild shrill as Serenity and Pikachu were passing the apartment complex she stayed in.

"Sounds like someone put a little espresso in their coffee this morning," she teased. Mai came outside and spotted Serenity and Pikachu.

"Hey, come and see this!" She showed the photograph where Serenity laughed to the bundle.

"These must be Ash's friends!"

("They are!") confirmed Pikachu. Serenity saw Misty and recalled Ash's tale.

"This has to be Misty-" She paused when she removed her finger from Misty. Togepi caught her eyes and she squealed in delight. "It's a baby!"

"See, I'm not the only one who thinks so," Mai giggled. "No question it's a Pokémon." Pikachu nodded to Mai's belief.

("Togepi will do that,") he teased. Serenity felt the need to see Togepi.

"Maybe when we do reunite with Ash's friends, think Misty can let me hold her baby?" she asked. Before Mai could answer, a shot rang out. Pikachu and the girls turned to see a net speeding at them. They couldn't react fast enough as all three were netted. The tangled bodies thrashed to get free.

"What's going on!?" demanded Mai. Laughs forced Serenity to guard Pikachu. Jessie and James appeared.

"Prepare for trouble, you're in a bit of a wreck," Jessie mocked.

"Make it double, we're attacking with a full deck!" added James.

"To protect the world from devastation…"

"To unite all people's within our nation…"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!" Unaware to the two, Serenity's brother and his friends saw the whole thing.

"You got one!" shouted Joey. The two turned their attention and Joey's fist came fast. It bashed James' jaw and floored him, his consciousness gone. Jessie became angered to the sudden attack.

"Hey!" she snapped. "There are laws against attacking Pokémon Trainers!" Joey, Tristan and Duke weren't in the mood about laws.

"There's also a law about kidnappings, and you don't wanna know the punishment for it," Duke started.

"It also doesn't help that you're attacking our family," Joey added. "How would you like it if we took your kids from you?"

"And it's also our territory you two are messing in," Tristan warned. "And your Pokémon Trainer baloney not cutting the mustard." Jessie scoffed to the warning.

"So what!?" she nagged. "I know you guys wouldn't hurt beauty like me!"

"In your dreams, you old hag!" scowled Mai. Jessie scowled at Mai's retort with Pikachu adding to the anger. Distracted, Tristan's arms snagged Jessie by the neck, putting her in a sleeper hold.

"Joey, free the girls!" ordered Tristan.

"Got it!" agreed Joey. He removed the net where Pikachu and the girls were grateful for the fast response.

"Thanks, Joey!" praised Serenity. Tristan released Jessie who was unconscious.

"Let's get you the rest of the way, alright?" suggested Duke.

"Sounds like a plan," Mai accepted. They walked from the unconscious pair as Meowth entered.

"Jessie!" he cried out. "James! Get up!" It would be a while before they're back on their feet. The group reached Yugi's home to drop Pikachu off before going to school. Ash and Pikachu were helping out with the store. Solomon entered the front lobby with a box wrapped in a handkerchief.

"I'm sorry, Ash!" he apologized. "Yugi forgot his lunch. Could you go and run it to him at the school?" Ash seemed a little surprised with the request.

"I can…" he hesitantly accepted. Pikachu also seemed rather reluctant to go to Yugi's school.

"Don't worry," Solomon reassured. "I'll watch the store." With Solomon's approval, Ash and Pikachu headed outside where Mokuba stood. He spotted Ash and Pikachu and ran to meet them.

"Hey, I was just coming to see you!" he greeted. "I heard about your duel with Underwood and the default win you received." It was less than 24 hours since Ash dueled Weevil where he used a Two-Headed coin in lieu of his Jirai Gumo's special effect. Seto caught the infraction and disqualified Weevil. Furthermore, Seto suspended him and Rex for their illegal move. Ash was rather somber about the duel.

"I don't know… I mean, shouldn't I've been DQ'ed as well for Pikachu's behavior? He did knock the coin out of the air." To Mokuba, it wasn't as egregious as the coin itself.

"Not exactly. If the coin was genuine, you could call for a do-over. No penalty would be assessed." Learning that Pikachu's action wasn't a big deal, Ash let out a sigh of relief.

"When you put it that way… Anyway, I was asked to run this to Yugi's school."

"Sure. Let me tell you where to go." As Mokuba told Ash and Pikachu the directions, Yugi slumped in his seat in a classroom at the school. He seemed bothered about an event as Téa came to see him.

"Yugi?" she called. Hearing his name, Yugi snapped alertly and turned to Téa.

"Oh, hey, Téa," he quietly greeted. "What's up?" Téa sat on the other side of Yugi's desk.

"How about my concern for you. Is something wrong?" Yugi billowed a sigh before starting an explanation.

"Before you ask about forgetting my lunch, Grandpa said he'd have it delivered. It's actually about a couple mornings ago when I saw Dark Magician Girl sleeping with Ash without her clothes on." Téa's eyes nearly escaped her head from the briefing.

"Wait, Dark Magician Girl was with Ash… and naked? That's new."

"My thoughts exactly. I highly doubt a Duel Monsters spirit like Dark Magician Girl can get… uh…" Téa's face read discomfort.

"Too soon, Yugi…"

"Yeah, you're right. Still, why would Dark Magician Girl be in bed with Ash? It can't be from Pegasus' Toon Dark Magician Girl kissing him as that winning move." Téa sighed, unsure of an answer.

"I'm not the one to talk to. How about we head to the roof? It's just about lunchtime anyway." The suggestion made Yugi nod. Ash and Pikachu soon arrived to the school. They searched around for the office and headed to it. That's when Duke spotted the two.

"Ash!" he called out. "Pikachu!" Hearing their names, Ash and Pikachu turned to find their friend.

"Duke!" he returned. Duke soon reached the pair.

"I see you brought Yugi's lunch. He's been feeling a little parched." Ash handed Duke the lunch. "And how's Pikachu after those adults netted you and the girls?"

("I'm feeling better,") the Mouse Pokémon squeaked. Ash blinked to the news.

"Did something happen this morning?" he asked.

"It happened alright," Duke huffed. "Mai, Serenity and Pikachu were attacked by a pair of adults who named themselves Team Rocket." Ash growled to the name.

"Those guys?" Letting out a sigh, Ash was expecting trouble. "Great… those guys will come after Pikachu, no matter where we go." To Duke, Ash and Pikachu have a history with the team.

"Well, at least we showed them who's boss." That's when a few girls came out and saw Ash and Pikachu with Duke… and squealed to the sight.

"He's here!" a chestnut brunette cheered. Without warning, more girls emerged to welcome Ash and Pikachu and make Duke gulp.

"Whoa… and I thought _I_ was a chick magnet!" he gawked. Each girl had a chance to touch Ash and Pikachu's faces. Some of them scored kisses to their cheeks and noses, much to Ash's bewilderment, Pikachu's excitement and Duke's concern. They soon reached the roof with Duke's help where the rest waited.

"Ash!" gasped Téa. "Pikachu! What happened to you two!?" Ash needed a moment as his face was painted with lipstick kisses of different colors. Pikachu was unconscious but with a huge grin as well as plenty of kisses to his face.

"If this goes on about your school, I may not wanna attend after today," he moaned. Téa cleaned Ash's face while Serenity took care of Pikachu.

"Tristan's right, the girls were crazy for you," Yugi assessed.

"You think!?" replied Ash. After cleaning the faces, Serenity came forward with Ash's photograph.

"Hey, Ash?" she requested. Ash turned to Joey's sister. "Mai found a picture of you and your friends this morning." She brought out the photograph but Téa became interested and stood.

"Let me see," she wanted. Serenity showed Téa and pointed to a part of the photograph. Her eyes bulged and she began to coo. "SO ADORABLE!" She took the photograph and showed it to Ash while standing behind him. "That's a baby, isn't it!?" Ash sighed to Téa's excitement.

"That's Misty's Togepi," he answered. "It hatched to see her and she's the trainer." The girls became elated in knowing Togepi.

"I know Pegasus still has your PokéDex, but what can you tell us about Togepi?" asked Tristan. Ash shrugged his shoulders.

"When I scanned it before, there wasn't a description about it," he admitted.

"Nothing?" irked Joey. "It probably wasn't updated for a proper description, then."

"That, and it was a new Pokémon no one discovered." To Téa, she didn't mind the lack of information.

"If we do visit your friends, I wanna have a chance of holding Togepi," she wished.

"Togepi's nice to have around," Ash expressed. "I'm sure Misty wouldn't mind. By the way, I'm glad Todd let me keep the picture." Serenity wondered about that.

"Is Todd the curly one?" she guessed. Ash nodded to her guess. "I see. Then the other is Brock."

("That's right,") Pikachu answered. They stayed to see more of the school and befriend some of the students. The girls had more time petting Pikachu and Ash's Pokémon that he brought out to show. Chikorita kept her vines trained. After school, everyone departed. However…

"Hey, I thought I'd find you nearby!" sounded Mai. All turned to see Mai approaching. "Ash, I have a proposal for you." Everyone gawked, thinking it was love. "We'll have a duel. If I win, you'll be going on a date with me." Serenity, Tea and Yugi sighed in relief, but Joey freaked out.

"What!?" he snapped. "You wanna take him on a date!?" After yesterday's duel being cut short, Ash wanted to get one in.

"You got it!" he accepted. Joey's eyes were about to explode from Ash agreeing to the duel, or going Mai's date.

"You _want_ that date!?" he screeched.

"No, he wants the duel!" corrected Téa. "The date is for the defeat!" Realizing the deal, Joey calmed down.

"Oh…" Ash and Mai had their duel disks set.

"How about if I win, you can take Pikachu shopping," he offered. Decks inserted, the 4,000 Life Points revealed.

"Then don't expect me to lose," she grinned. They drew five cards.

"Let's duel!" they declared. Ash offered an open hand to Mai.

"Ladies' first!" he suggested.

"Cute!" she sneered. "I summon Amazoness Swords Woman in Attack Mode!" Laying the card down, it was an Effect Monster. A muscled woman emerged with a large scimitar and wearing a strapless black brassier and a black loincloth. Her Attack was at 1,500 and her Defense was at 1,600. "Next, I lay two cards face-down and end my turn." Ash drew a card.

"Alright… I'll be summoning Warrior Dai Grepher in Attack Mode!" When Ash laid the card down, a heavily muscled man emerged wearing a tight black sleeveless suit and a thin helmet with his hair flowing out. He held a broad sword with both hands. His Attack's 1,700 while Defense was at 1,600. "Say goodbye to Amazoness Swords Woman! Do it, Warrior Dai Grepher!" Ash's warrior came after Amazoness Swords Woman. Mai had other ideas.

"I won't say goodbye just yet! I activate Dramatic Rescue!" A Trap card rose to show a hand reaching out to a green-haired woman tied to a tree. "This allows me to switch Amazoness Swords Woman with my Harpie Lady!" Amazoness Swords Woman vanished and the redhead Harpie Lady.

"Well, this allows me to take more of your Life Points!" Warrior Dai Grepher slashed at the Harpie Lady, slicing her apart. Mai lost some Life Points, from 4,000 to 3,600.

"Why would Mai save Amazoness Swords Woman and lose more Life Points than the original?" questioned Joey.

"I know what you mean, but Mai thought it wasn't the right amount of Life Points for Amazoness Swords Woman to use as her special effect," Yugi believed. Ash felt ready to end his turn.

"Now, I'm gonna lay one card face-down and end my turn," he declared. Mai drew her next card.

"Even then, that was too soon," she admitted. "I summon Cyber Harpie Lady!" With her card placed, Cyber Harpie Lady emerged. Her Attack's at 1,800 while her Defense's 1,300. "Next, I'll play Graceful Charity!" She showed a card with an angel with her hands out to catch a glowing card. "This allows me to draw three cards but throw two away." Like the card applied, she drew three cards from her deck and stuck them in her hand before grabbing two more and throwing them into the graveyard slot. "I'll save this card for later. Cyber Harpie Lady, Cyber Scratches!" Cyber Harpie Lady clawed through Warrior Dai Grepher, shattering him. Ash's Life Points dipped a little, down to 3,900. "Now, it's your turn. I'm done." Ash drew his next card.

"Hate to go on the defensive but… I lay one card face-down in Defense Mode!" Seeing the move, Mai snickered.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that when I have this: Shadow of Eyes!" The face-down card flipped up, showing two eyes starring lustfully. "You might find this problematic as this Trap exudes a pheromone that lulls face-down Duel Monsters into attacking ones." Ash's card turned upright and showed a blue penguin with a sword in its wings and some armor below the beak. Its' Attack's only 750 and Defense's 500. Mai realized her Trap backfired.

"Well, looks like Penguin Soldier was used a little early but I don't mind an open attack. I could return up to two cards from the field but I'll settle with Cyber Harpie Lady going back to your hand." Cyber Harpie Lady was removed and Mai had no monsters to defend herself. "Penguin Soldier, let's give her a little cut!" Penguin Soldier spun before slashing Mai who covered herself. Her Life Points fell to 2,850. "I'm gonna put one card down and end my turn." When the card emerged from Ash's side, Mai drew one of her own.

"Shadow of Eyes failed me but I know Amazoness Swords Woman won't!" She played the card once more with her reappearing on the field. "Now, let's make chicken our of Penguin Soldier with Amazoness Slash!" Amazoness Swords Woman carved Penguin Soldier to ribbons. Ash's Life Points fell fast, now down to 3,150. "Now I leave a card face-down and you're the one attacking." Ash drew his next card.

"My move!" Ash looked to his draw before groaning. "I'll put this card face-down and end it early."

"Well, that's kinda disappointing!" Mai drew her next card. "Now, I can bring back out Cyber Harpie Lady!" Making her second appearance, Cyber Harpie Lady readied for a battle. "But first, I'll start with Amazoness Swords Woman! After that face-down!" Amazoness Swords Woman raced in with her sword ready. What came up was a man with mechanical limbs and his right holding a katana. He also wore a mechanical eyepatch over his right eye. His Attack's a sub-par 200, but Defense's sturdy 2,000.

"Not strong enough to crack through my Chamberlain of the Six Samurai."

"Maybe not but look at your score." Ash blinked before looking. It now read 2,650. To Ash, it didn't make sense.

"Hold on… My Chamberlain of the Six Samurai's Defense's higher than your Amazoness Swords Woman's Attack!"

"That's true, but if she battles, any damage I receive goes to you." Mai had the lead. Ash had to think of something. "I'll end my turn now." Ash drew his next card.

"Here goes…" Seeing his new card made him grin. "I now sacrifice Thunder Dragon to bring two more to my hand!" After throwing away his Thunder Dragon from his hand, two more emerged from his deck. "Now, I play Polymerization!" He showed Polymerization to Mai before throwing his other two Thunder Dragon cards away. "Come on out, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" The monster that defeated Mako appeared. "But I'm not done… I sacrifice my Chamberlain of the Six Samurai… and summon Machine King!" He removed Chamberlain of the Six Samurai and replaced it with a blue robot with red arms and white shoulders and legs. Its' Attack changed from 2,200 to 2,300 and Defense's 2,000. "Machine King, take out Mai's Amazoness Swords Woman!" The robot fired a laser that scorched Amazoness Swords Woman. Mai's score wasn't effected but Ash's did take a hit as his Life Points fell to 1,850.

"A foolish attempt to beat my Amazoness Swords Woman! You lost more Life Points than I'd thought you'd realize!"

"True, but it does give me breathing room to take out your Cyber Harpie Lady!" The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon blasted Cyber Harpie Lady where Mai's score finally lowered. Ash's fused monster's Attack of 2,800 dug into Mai's score, down to 1,850. It was tied and Mai was defenseless. "I'll lay one card face down and end my turn." Mai drew her next card.

"Alright, I'll play Pot of Greed!" She showed the card to Ash before drawing two more cards. "Next, I'll use Monster Reborn to summon Cyber Harpie Lady back!" The Monster Reborn card shown, Cyber Harpie Lady's card reemerged from the field and placed back in the game. "I also play Grave Arm!" Mai held a Magic Card with a goblin hand reaching out. "You Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon is grounded!" The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon was grabbed by the tail and dragged below the surface by the hand. Ash lost one monster. "Now I play Rose Whip! This gives Cyber Harpie Lady an extra 300 Attack and Defense Points!" The Magic Card had a thorn whip. Cyber Harpie Lady had the whip in hand. "Now, allow me to summon… Harpie Girl!" The card emerged and then the holographic image showed up as a blond girl in black latex and pink stockings emerged. She had talons and claws but also pink wings on her arms and head. Her Attack and Defense stood at only 500.

"Harpie… Girl? Against these guys?" Mai nodded to Ash query.

"And I'll also give Harpie Girl this: Double Attack!" She showed the card of a man throwing a spear while riding on a large piece of wood. "I discard another Harpie Lady so Harpie Girl can attack directly!" Harpie Girl flew above and met Ash before giggling. Everyone wasn't sure what to expect. Then, Harpie Girl gave Ash a passionate kiss to the lips. Even Pikachu freaked out at the sight.

("Not again!") he squeaked.

"Talk about the wings of love," Téa stuttered.

"Who knew Duel Monsters can show affection?" wondered Serenity.

"They're holograms," irked Tristan. "They're not suppose to." The kiss ended and Ash's Life Points fell to 1,350.

"That… wasn't what I had in mind!" shuttered Mai. "Sorry!" Ash waived it off.

"It's good!" he returned.

"Anyway, It's your turn!" Ash drew his next card.

"It looks like this is over! I play Neo, the Magic Swordsman!" Putting the card down, Neo emerged with his 1,700 Attack. "I equip Neo with Axe of Despair, increasing his Attack by 1,000!" An axe appeared in Neo's hands and his Attack ballooned to 2,700. "Machine King, take out Cyber Harpie Lady!" Machine King fired another laser which smoked Cyber Harpie Lady to dust. Mai's score fell to 1,650. "No love loss here! Neo, end the duel!" Neo raced in and slashed Harpie Girl. Mai's score fell to nothing. Mai sighed as she lost. "Yes! That's a win!"

"Way to go, Ash!" cheered Joey. Yugi and Pikachu patted Ash on the back in celebration.

"Great duel, Ash!" praised Mai. "I lost… I was hoping after all." Seeing Mai extend a hand, Ash believed it was a handshake earned. He accepted and grabbed Mai's hand to shake. It was a ruse. She pulled Ash in and gave him what Harpie Girl did a couple of minutes ago: kiss to the lips. Ash felt paralyzed with the new kiss. Everyone gawked to Mai's act on Ash. Joey was at a loss for words from the kiss.

"I have a funny feeling Ash is a blond magnet," Téa sneered. Ash felt Mai's tongue licking his, over and under.

"If so, Serenity's safe with us, right?" asked Duke with a shutter.

"I don't think that's it," Yugi hushed. After a minute, Mai broke free.

"That little stud, scoring on the older set…" murmured Joey before fainting. Serenity lifted Pikachu into her arms.

"I would take you shopping, regardless of the outcome," she confessed. "Could you watch over Joey? I think he'll need a few minutes…" Duke and Tristan turned to Joey, out like a broken light.

"We'll make sure he's home," Tristan promised.

"Wait up!" Téa halted. "I wanna join. I know a few shops that we can check out." Serenity nodded before they and Pikachu reached Ash and Mai for some clothes shopping. Meanwhile, Weevil and Rex still showed anger at the disqualification yesterday.

"That rodent killed our laden plans!" the cyan-haired snapped. "If that rodent didn't interfere, I could've taken his master and turned him into mustard!"

"Weevil, that's gross!' irked Rex. "Look, it'll only be a while before we serve our suspensions and it's lifted." To Weevil, that would be too long.

"I can't wait! I want that Ketchum if it's the last thing I do!" Overhearing them, Team Rocket arrived to confront the two.

"That makes a lot of us!" sounded Meowth. Rex and Weevil turned to Team Rocket.

"Aren't you a little old for uniforms like those?" complained Rex.

"It's our work uniforms, you twerp!" snapped Jessie.

"Anyway, we're after the twerp as well," James explained. To Rex and Weevil, this could be their big break.

"So, we're all after the Ketchum kid, right?" questioned Weevil. "If so, what should we do?" Jessie and James nodded before huddling their bruised faces with the suspended pair. What scheme will they have for Ash?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…

(As you may have known, I have a list for upcoming stories for 2019 for you to vote on. As soon as I'm done with either story right now, including one more I won't mention, your vote will be the next one I do. Also, those who voted in the Alola class, Lillie by a landslide.)


	9. Handi-Capable Dueling

_Chapter 9: Handi-Capable Dueling_

* * *

It wasn't long since Ash's win over Mai that he, Pikachu and the girls left for some shopping. After awhile, everyone gathered at a burger restaurant with "Burger World" as the title. "I gotta say, the girls know how to make you look fashionable," Tristan sneered. Ash donned a blue denim short-sleeve jacket over a light blue t-shirt containing a decal of a large sword with lightning crackling around it. Pikachu wore a powder blue spring jacket.

"Pikachu would want Lightning Blade attached to the jacket as well," Yugi pondered.

("A Lightning Blade?") repeated Pikachu.

"It's the design on my shirt," Ash pointed out.

("That's Lightning Blade?") Now, Pikachu had a vision of himself wielding the Lightning Blade. As the girls began to coo Pikachu's daydream, a blue-haired waitress came by and recognized Téa in the group.

"Téa, you having a group outing?" she asked.

"I am, Miho," Téa acknowledged. "Mainly to show this guy and his Pikachu around." Miho petted Pikachu to his delight.

"A cutie…" Miho came to Ash. "So, what can I get you?" Ash showed a sneer.

"What do you have as your hottest burger?" he asked. Joey, Duke and Tristan gulped.

"Someone's begging for heartburn," Duke shuttered.

"We have our Santa Fe Burgerpeño, which has Pepperjack cheese, slices of jalapeño, ghost peppers and drenched in cajun sauce," Miho explained.

"Can I get extra slices of Pepperjack and ghost peppers?" requested Ash.

"You got it!" After Miho got other orders, she retreated to make the order.

"Have you heard the words 'Death Wish' in your life?" criticized Joey. "You're seriously doing that to your taste buds!"

"Calm down, Joey," Ash eased. "I've handled spicier foods back home. Imagine some wasabi on spaghetti…" Tristan and Yugi shuttered to the idea.

"If that's true, this may not be spicy enough for him," Yugi gulped. As they waited, Ash wondered about the connections of everyone.

"I'm amazed at how many friends you have, Yugi," he complimented.

"Well, it didn't really start out as much," Yugi admitted. "Joey and Tristan started as bullies against me."

"I know it sounds surreal but we… weren't on our best behavior," Joey confessed. To Ash's time spent, he had a feeling as to why.

"If I had to guess, it's because of Yugi's size, right?" he thought.

"More or less," Tristan shrugged. "Téa did take pity on Yug and before long, karma came in."

"We bullies got bullied and Yug stood up against him and took some punishment on top," Joey added. "Thanks to him, our bullying days were over."

"I taught these three the same game you're getting the hang of, and soon, we had a crisis that brought us to Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom," Yugi continued. "Pegasus had the Millennium Eye which could look at our hands without anyone showing it to him. He also used it to take my grandpa's soul." Ash and Pikachu gulped to the power.

"I'm surprised he's alive now!" the trainer muttered.

"We all are," Duke eased.

"I also traveled with Yug, but for a different purpose," Joey added. Ash and Pikachu became curious. "See, Serenity was in the hospital under dire duress." Serenity nodded to Joey's claim.

"I had a disease that was taking my eyesight," she explained. "My operation was pretty pricey which is why I hoped Joey would win the prize money of $3,000,000." Pikachu gawked to the price.

"That has to be a rare condition to treat," Ash believed. Serenity nodded.

"Trust us, Ash," Tristan advised. "She may look a little weak, but Serenity is indeed strong."

"Tristan, I never look at anyone, human or Pokémon, as weak," Ash sneered. "Heck, I'd argue that if she was a Pokémon Trainer, she'd be having the same confidence I show on a daily basis." The burgers arrived, one of them being Ash's which had the slices of jalapeño and ghost peppers with white cheese having spots of red and green in it. The beef was covered in a dark red sauce. Pikachu had a smaller cheeseburger with ketchup. Others had various burgers, Tristan's having a fried egg and Duke with fried cheese curds on the side. "Duke, no fries?"

"Not today," he refused. "I saw that on the features and thought I try it out." Ash turns to see a written item below "TODAY'S FEATURE" being "WISCONSIN-STYLE CHEESE CURDS." This astounds Ash and Pikachu, the latter going to Duke's plate.

("Can I try it?") he asked. Duke smiled and lofted a curd to Pikachu who nibbled on it. He squealed happily. After supper, the sun began to set. Pikachu stood on Serenity's shoulder.

"Man, do I have a lot to tell Misty and Brock when I return to them," Ash chuckled.

"No kidding," Mai agreed. "And since telling us about Misty's affiliation with water, Mako may be a nice guy for her, don't you think?"

"I can see it," Téa giggled. "Though, I'd rather have a chance to hold that wittle Togepi once." The boys laughed to Téa's wish. Out of nowhere, a lasso wrapped Pikachu and ripped him from Serenity's shoulder.

("Help me!") he cried. All turned to Pikachu's scream and found Team Rocket holding Pikachu hostage.

"Team Rocket!?" gawked Ash. Jessie and James chose to do the motto.

"Prepare for trouble, you should stop your fuss," Jessie started.

"Make it double, if you don't wanna accept your loss," James added.

"To protect the world from devastation…"

"To unite all people's within our nation…"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"

"Gimme a break!" snapped Téa. Team Rocket gawked to Téa's interruption. "'To denounce the evils of truth and love'? Do you even know what 'denounce' even means?"

"Excuse _me_ , you pampered twerpette!" argued Jessie. "You should know better than to interrupt our motto!"

"And besides!" argued Meowth. "It's not fair!" Aside from Ash, everyone seemed shocked to hear from a cat.

"Okay, seriously…" groaned Duke. "A talking cat?"

"I'm a Meowth!" protested Meowth.

"That's besides the point," Tristan groaned. "Didn't we beat you down yesterday?" Jessie and James growled at the reminder.

"You should be in jail for assault and battery for that!" snapped James.

"Yeah?" retorted Joey. "For attacking my sister!? That's called payback!"

"Anyway, let Pikachu go!" ordered Ash.

"Like we listen to twerpish advice," Jessie scoffed. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but it was canceled by the rubber lasso.

"Joey, get Pikachu out of there!" demanded Serenity.

"Another team effort should work!" agreed Duke.

"Oh, but before you do, we have a surprise for you," Jessie grinned. That's when Weevil and Rex appeared, wearing the Team Rocket uniforms.

"Well, it's about time I issue some revenge for putting me on suspension," Rex sneered.

"And we'll make sure you're no longer doing anything after we're done!" added Weevil. They revealed their Duel Disks, now outfitted with the Team Rocket emblem and activated it. To everyone, something was off.

"Wait a minute, your Duel Disks shouldn't work!" pointed Yugi.

"Maybe under Kaiba's watch, but Team Rocket has given us a chance for redemption," Weevil sneered. They activated their Duel Disks. Ash was forced to act with his own after fastening it onto his arm.

"Launch it!" called out Rex. Cables shot out of his and Weevil's Duel Disks and hooked onto Ash's. With a pull, Ash was yanked to the ground. Upon landing, Todd's picture fell out and rolled toward Weevil. "Now you have no choice but to duel us!" Ash growled at the forced duel as he stood up.

"Pikachu's the prize, twerp!" taunted James. Ash, Rex and Weevil inserted their decks in the slots. All three showed 4,000 Life Points. They all drew the five cards.

"Let's duel!" they all shouted in unison. Weevil grinned before declaring his turn.

"I'll start," he offered. "And since we have this two-on-one, you can't attack us until Rex has his turn!" Ash growled to the rule implied, as was some of the friends.

"Since when is that a rule!?" snarled Joey. The Millennium Puzzle around Yugi's neck reacted. With the glow, Yugi transformed.

"YU-GI-OH!" he shouted before he morphed into his taller self. He stood by Ash. "So, you two would take the cowardly approach in dueling Ash like this?" He armed his Duel Disk in anger.

"Yugi!" called Ash. Yugi turned to Ash. "I got these two. You find a way to get Pikachu from Team Rocket." Rex didn't want any interference.

"You butt out of this, Yugi!" he scolded. "This is personal!"

"And I'll start with Big Insect in Attack Mode!" started Weevil. Laying the card down, a giant black ant emerged. Its Attack's at 1,200 and Defense's 1,500. "I'll also give Big Insect this: Laser Cannon Armor!" The card inserted into the slot, Big Insect gained spiked armor around its head and legs with a laser gun mounted on its back. "Laser Cannon Armor gives my Big Insect 300 Attack and Defense!" Big Insect's Attack grew to 1,500 while its Defense became 1,800. "I'm also going to change the field to the Forest!" The extra slot activated, Weevil's card was inserted. The magic card displayed a forest as the name suggested. "Any insect I bring onto the field gets an additional 200 points in Attack and Defense!" Big Insect's Attack's now up to 1,700 while Defense's risen to 2,000. "I'm laying a pair of cards face-down and ending my turn!" Ash now had an uphill battle with Weevil's souped-up Big Insect as he drew a card out.

"I've seen bigger bugs than that!" he grinned. Looking, he smiled. "I'm gonna lay one card down in Defense Mode, and lay a few more face-down." Four cards emerged, one sideways. "I'm gonna end my turn on that note." Rex drew his card.

"And now you're about to feel the wrath of dinosaurs," he warned. "I summon Balloon Lizard in Attack Mode!" Placing the card down, the hologram pictured a lizard flying while inflated. It had an Attack of 500 and Defense of 1,900. There was also a "C" on the stats. "But don't expect it to stay around as I use Ultra Evolution Pill!" He threw the card in the slot which revealed a Magic Card of a large purple pill. "I can sacrifice my Balloon Lizard for something a little more prehistoric: Sword Arm of Dragon!" Rex switched Balloon Lizard's card for Sword Arm of Dragon, its Attack of 1,750 and Defense of 2,030. "And unlike you, I can attack. Go, Sword Arm of Dragon!" Rex's monster swung its sword-like tail which headed for the defensive card. Swinging over, it revealed itself as Penguin Soldier who couldn't stand up to Sword Arm of Dragon. However, Ash grinned to the loss of his monster.

"Well, looks like I get to turn the tide on you two," he smiled. "I may have lost Penguin Soldier, but his special ability is a great ploy as it turns your monsters back to your hands." Sword Arm of Dragon and Big Insect returned to Rex's and Weevil's hands. Laser Cannon Armor entered the graveyard.

"So you pulled that one on us, but now we can go to town on you on our next turn!" scolded Weevil. Ash drew his next card. However, he sighed.

"I'm just going to lay this card face-down and end my turn," he groaned. Weevil's turn to draw.

"It's my turn!" he announced. "And I summon Pinch Hopper in Attack Mode!" The card placed, the hologram produced a winged grasshopper with large talons. Thanks to Forest, Pinch Hopper's Attack rose to 1,200 and Defense lifted to 1,400. "Now, Pinch Hopper… Claw your way through that card!" Pinch Hopper flew and struck the new monster. What flipped up was a koala and the Underwood got startled.

"What do you know?" taunted Ash as Pinch Hopper's attack bounced away. "Des Koala's Defense's stronger than Pinch Hopper's Attack and it doesn't actually help you that Forest also helps Beasts." Des Koala's Defense boosted from 1,800 to 2,000.

"Not good!" gulped Weevil as his Life Points fell from 4,000 to 3,200. Suddenly, a blast of electricity nailed Weevil, stunning him. Rex and Team Rocket gawked to the electric punishment.

"I thought you rigged it for the twerp to get it!" snapped Jessie to James.

"We didn't have enough time so it was the only course!" explained James.

"So this duel's a trap to injure Ash," Yugi growled. "Nothing but a swarm of snakes you are!"

"Hey, you wanted to butt in to a game you weren't invited to!" argued Jessie. Ash had more.

"Before you continue your argument, there's a little more to point out," he halted. "Now, Des Koala's effect comes in. For every card in your hand, you each lose 400 Life Points." Weevil and Rex took electric shocks as Weevil's Life Points fell to 2,800 while Rex's fell from 4,000 to 2,000.

"Not fair!" complained Rex. "Why did I get the shock as well?"

"Don't ask me!" whined Weevil. "Besides, I've done my turn." Ash pulled out another card, ready to add to the damage. That's when Weevil eyed Ash's picture and glanced to Misty. In a flash, his eyes became hearts. "My heart's buzzing now! The sweetest woman I could ever find!" Ash's face went pale.

"You… don't mean… Misty?" he stuttered.

"Misty's her name?" The thoughts in Weevil's head began to picture itself. "Playing with all sorts of insects, and being married in a greenhouse, raising kids… That Misty would mystify my life…" Everyone became bugged out to Weevil's dream.

"Dat has to be the most disturbing dream I've heard," Meowth mewed in shock.

"While the cat talking's as disturbing, I have to agree," Joey mulled. Rex shook out of the illusion and refocused.

"Hey, bug-for-brains!" he snapped. "We got a duel to win!" Weevil snapped back and rejoined the rest of the setting.

"Of course, one butterfly wing flap at a time if Misty becomes my queen bee," he sneered. Ash couldn't disagree more.

"She'd swat you out of existence," he advised. "She hates bugs, and your collection's as good as splattered." Weevil's hearts shattered at the information.

"Hates… bugs!?" he repeated. Rex itched his head.

"Talk about a waste of time…" he muttered. Suddenly…

"That's enough!" shouted Seto. Leaping out of nowhere, Seto appeared to stop the duel. "This is an illegal duel brought on by suspended duelists! You have no respect for the rules, you should be punished." Ash gulped at Seto's appearance, as was everyone else.

"Kaiba…" muttered Yugi. "Only you'd show up to this…"

"Mainly when you can't do a thing without my help, Pharaoh," Seto scolded. Team Rocket stood up to acknowledge the young CEO of Kaiba Corp.

"My, so you're the young thespian running this game, huh?" teased Jessie. "You may wanna stay out since this is Team Rocket business."

"It did take a while to get these Duel Disks running again," James admitted.

"You jacked my Duel Disks?" growled Seto.

"What's the big deal?" scoffed Jessie. "Besides, when this is over, your game will be nothing more than pretty pictures."

"I hate to break this news, but not only did you damage my property, but these two are hereby banished from the game… permanently!" judged Seto. Rex and Weevil scoffed to the ruling. "And I'm ending this duel!" He reached for the device on his wrist guard.

"Oh, I wouldn't be doing that," James warned. "All you'll be doing is turning off his device! Then, he'll be given a beating that he's long deserved." Now Seto was forced into a corner that he couldn't get out of.

"I got this, Kaiba," Ash assured. "Besides, I gotta do something to free Pikachu." Seeing James holding the tied up Mouse Pokémon, Seto understood the setting.

"So that's what's going on…" he growled. "Not only are you hackers but also cowards who steal from the younger set? You make me sick!"

"Then go take some antacid," Jessie mocked. "Don't come over with your stomachache." Ash decided to continue with the duel as he readied his cards.

"Now, I'll go on ahead and sacrifice Des Koala for Chaos Command Magician!" he summoned. Des Koala disappeared and was replaced with a green lookalike of Dark Magician with his Attack as 2,400 and Defense at 1,900. Ash wondered who he'd attack since Rex was without a monster and Weevil's got more Life Points… but it was a stall tactic as he saw Rebecca sneaking behind James. "Now!" That's when Rebecca swung her leg up and caught James in the groin. He let out a scream before fumbling Pikachu to where she caught the Pokémon.

"Hey!" shouted Jessie. When her head finally turned, Seto was in her sight. He delivered a liver punch to Jessie that made her drop a remote control. It shattered on the ground where the cables to Ash disconnected.

"How does that stomachache feel?" mocked Seto. Jessie fell to the ground, grasping her stomach. Rebecca returned Pikachu to Yugi as Ash decided to attack.

"Rebecca, thank you!" cheered Serenity.

("Where'd you come from?") asked a happy Pikachu. With Team Rocket down and Meowth cowardly running off, Seto set himself to end the duel with Rex and Weevil beginning to fear the outcome.

"Now that the distraction's been diverted, this duel can end without-"

"Hold on, Kaiba," Ash sneered. Seto irked to Ash's halting.

"Hold on?" he repeated. "They're disqualified and banished from Duel Monsters for the rest of their lives!"

"I know… I want to give them more than just a ban for threatening my life and Pikachu's well-being by siding with Team Rocket." Rex and Weevil shuttered to Ash's plan.

"I never thought you'd be ruthless… but if it means giving them something to remember…" Ash continued to sneer as he prepared his attack.

"Here goes your Pinch Hopper!" he ordered. "Go, Chaos Command Magician!" On command, Chaos Command Magician blasted Pinch Hopper to pieces. Weevil's score plummeted down to 1,600. However, he grinned.

"Well now…" he sneered. "I can activate Pinch Hopper's special ability! I can summon another Insect from my hand to the field! Now I can bring back Big Insect!" Weevil's Big Insect reemerged.

"Hopefully, you'll remember the mistake of not finishing me off when you had the chance," Rex growled as he drew his next card. "Hope you like to be toasted when I do this! I special summon two Gilasaurus!" The two cards emerged and the hologram produced two large green raptors. "Because I special summoned them, you can bring back your Des Koala and your Penguin Soldier." The arrival of both Des Koala and Penguin Soldier, Ash expected to get something headed his way. "Now, I'll sacrifice my two Gilasaurus and summon… Black Tyranno!" What arose from two smaller raptors was a large black spiked Tyrannosaurus Rex. Its Attack's at 2,600 while Defense's at 1,800. "Now, Black Tyranno! Take out his Chaos Command Magician!" Black Tyranno raced after Chaos Command Magician, but Ash had a solution.

"The only thing being taken out is your prehistoric plans," he sneered. "I activate Reinforcements!" The Trap emerged and it showed an army charging into battle. This raises my Chaos Command Magician's Attack by 500!" Chaos Command Magician's Attack rose to 2,900. It blasted Black Tyranno to pieces and Rex's Life Points to 1,700.

"Oh no…" he realized. "And I think this is it!" Ash smiled as he drew one more card.

"This is…" he pointed out. "But first, I'll summon Warrior Dai Grepher!" Card on the field, Ash's Warrior emerged. "Warrior Dai Grepher, wipe out the Big Insect!" Warrior Dai Grepher Big Insect at only 1,400 Attack power. Weevil's Life Points fell to 1,300. "Des Koala, go after Weevil!" Des Koala smashed Weevil directly, emptying his score to zero. Weevil was defeated.

"No!" he cried. "Misty, I failed you!" Ash wasn't done.

"Chaos Command Magician, finish the deal!" Chaos Command Magician shot a massive magic blast to Rex, depleting the rest of his Life Points. The duel ended.

"That was a perfect victory!" awed Joey. "Ash wasn't touched once!" Seto scoffed to Ash's victory.

"Not too bad for a rookie," he murmured.

"But I'm not done yet," Ash assured as he summoned his Pokémon and Pikachu joined in. "Bulbasaur, charge up…"

("Solar Beam time,") Bulbasaur growled as he powered up his bulb.

"Chikorita, use Vine Whip and take their Duel Disks!" Chikorita snagged Rex and Weevil's Duel Disks with her vines and pulled them off, literally. "Heracross, use Fury Swipes!" Heracross flew over and shredded the uniforms. One more smack sent the two to Ash who then cocked his arm. "This is what I do to cheaters!" He threw uppercuts, nailing both below the belt. Rex and Weevil screamed with higher pitches to the voices. Yugi and his friends cringed at the low blows.

"I know they deserve it but... OUCH!" winced Tristan. Ash tossed both cheaters back to Jessie and James.

"Totodile, use Water Gun! Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Bulbasaur, use Solar Beam!" The four Pokémon blasted Team Rocket and the two recruits. The combined attack strength blasted everyone skyward.

"Great, so not only are we not allowed to play Duel Monsters again, but you won't score that date!" scolded Rex.

"That's the least of our problems!" whined James.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried out. Ash raced and picked up the cards from Rex and Weevil's Duel Disks.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Seto mulled. "Now that the matter's settled, I'll make sure those two are off the record." Yugi nodded as Ash handed the Duel Disks to Seto..

"Perhaps next time, we'll have another duel," Yugi offered.

"Count on it." Seto left for Kaiba Corp.

"Same old Kaiba," sighed Téa. Ash buckled to a knee, gathering the Pokémon.

"That was exhausting," he admitted. "Two-on-one… not easy." Yugi reverted back to his smaller self.

"That was so good, I'm willing to share my Egyptian God cards," he offered. The Pokémon were curious.

("Egyptian God?") asked Heracross.

"Sure thing," he wished. Everyone returned home with Yugi taking Ash back. It was an exhausting day but he came away a winner. As Yugi walked Ash back, Rebecca had a thought as she picked up Cyndaquil.

' _What's with my heart all of a sudden?'_ she minded. _'My heart should be to Yugi, so why is it acting now toward the new boy?'_ An emotion starting to stem from Rebecca. Could this play a factor?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	10. Hawking Decisions

Chapter 10: Hawking Decisions

* * *

It had been two days since Ash's handicap duel with Rex and Weevil. Ash wasn't touched in his duel and his opponents were permanently banned from Duel Monsters. He and his Pokémon made a return trip to the high school where the female body adored Cyndaquil, Totodile, Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Heracross. Chikorita used Vine Whip on some of the girls who put a body part on her trainer. Tristan and Duke saw Ash's Pokémon and what Chikorita did to some of the students. "I don't think we need to worry about Serenity with this Pokémon acting as defensive around Ash," Duke studied.

"No question," Tristan agreed. At lunch, Ash joined Yugi and his friends on the rooftop. Téa shared her lunch with Ash.

"Are you sure you'll be fine without a full stomach?" he asked.

"It's all good," she assured. "Besides, I've got some leftovers back home." Ash enjoyed Téa's shared lunch but somehow felt bothered.

"Say, I've got a couple of questions in mind," he brought up.

"What is it?" asked Yugi.

"Well… The way you guys hate Kaiba, it surprises me that he saves me twice, both with Weevil as my opponent. Any reason he does that?" No one was sure, not even Pikachu had an idea… except for the spirit within Yugi.

" _I believe I can answer his question,"_ he offered. Yugi paused at the voice.

' _Pharaoh?'_ he gulpsed. He took a few seconds to think. "Ash, the pharaoh would want to explain your issue." Ash blinked to the offer.

"The pharaoh?" he repeated. Yugi nodded before the Millennium Puzzle began to glow. In a flash, Yugi was grown again.

"Ash, I understand what you're troubled about," the pharaoh spoke. "Kaiba does have a serious issue with myself and his vendetta is about skills as a duelist, but his passion doesn't cloud him from fair play. He takes Duel Monsters as if his life and reputation are on the line. Since Yugi did train you, it's likely he wants to test your skills as a duelist. Your cards are a mixed bag but they offer unique surprises and alter strategies that puts even veteran duelists on their heels." Ash awed Pharaoh's words.

"That's what happens when you have 5,000 years of experience in that Millennium Puzzle," Téa teased. Tristan recalled Pharaoh's mentioning and had to ask.

"Speaking of cards, did you look into Rex's and Weevil's decks?" he pointed out.

"I did," Ash replied. "The dinosaurs and insects are unique in their own way but I see potential with some of them in my deck."

"Somehow, I expected that from you," Pharaoh assessed. "Duel Monsters and Pokémon share methods that make both unique in their own perspective." Ash bobbed a nod to the explanation but had more on his mind.

"Another thing," he changed subjects. "Team Rocket found me and Pikachu. What are the chances Misty and Brock will find me as well?" To Serenity, the chances were not bad.

"We'd be happy to show Misty and Brock around Domino City if they do," she assured. "They can also see how much you've grown as a trainer and a duelist." Ash, Tristan, Duke and Pikachu enjoyed the answer.

"That a girl," Tristan complimented. After school, everyone started heading home. Pikachu's in Téa's arms when they viewed Rebecca approaching.

"There you are!" she called out. Everyone stopped as Rebecca revealed her Duel Disk.

"H-Hey, Rebecca!" stuttered Yugi. "What's up?" Rebecca reached Ash, getting her face up to Ash's.

"Hey, I already thanked you for watching over Cyndaquil after-" he tried to reason.

"I'm not exactly here for Cyndaquil…" she stammered. "It's you I want… for a duel!" Ash had plenty of time to rest since his duel with Rex and Weevil, and he smiled to the request.

"You got it! I've added some of cheaters' cards to my deck and have been itching to try it out." The agreement made, Ash and Rebecca's Duel Disks were set, their 4,000 Life Points set and their five cards in their hands.

"Let's duel~!" they declared. Yugi and friends wondered how Ash would fare against Rebecca's deck.

"How do you think Miss Obnoxious will fare in this?" asked Joey. "Ash is still raring to go after his flawless victory."

"This is Duel Monsters, not Mortal Kombat," Duke pointed out.

"True, but how Ash finished Rex, Weevil and Team Rocket is close enough to a fatality without the bloodshed," Tristan reminded. "Not to mention that Rebecca's the reigning US champion." Hearing Tristan's description, Pikachu became a little concerned.

("She's a champion?") he squeaked. Rebecca's title gave her an idea.

"How about a little wager, Ash?" she offered. "If I can beat you, I'll be teaching you like I've been receiving in college." Ash awed Rebecca's education.

"Right, she's in college," he gulped to himself. Hearing the wager, Tristan, Duke and Téa huddled and whispered among each other. Yugi, Joey and Serenity blinked to the huddle.

"Don't tell me they have a countermeasure," Yugi guessed. They broke the huddled with Pikachu cringing to the exchange.

"Alright, but if Ash wins," Téa announced. "You two will go on a date together." Ash gawked to Téa's suggestion.

"Wait, WHAT!?" he shrieked. Rebecca grinned to the offer.

"Deal!" she accepted. Ash gasped to the wager, one he had no voice on.

"Since when am I not allowed to speak about it?" he mulled. Yugi and Joey blinked in wondering the reason.

"That's rather unfair to Ash about this," Serenity scolded.

"Relax, we know what Ash has up his sleeve," Tristan calmed.

"I'll go first, Ash," she declared. "And I'll lay one card face-down in Defensive Position." Doing so, one card laid face-down. "Next, I'll lay two more face-down and end my turn." Two more cards laid face-down and Ash had his chance as he drew a card from his deck.

"I hate it when I don't have a choice," he murmured. Looking at his hand, he cringed more. _'And it's even worse… I don't have a monster!'_ No choice, he pulled four cards from his hand. "I'll lay four cards face-down and end my turn." Four cards emerged. Rebecca felt ready to check the cards as she drew a card.

"Hey, don't go down like this. I reveal my monster: Skelengel!" The card flipped up to show a card that had angel wings, a halo, a bow and arrow, floating hands, feet and black belt. Its Attack's only 900 while Defense's 400. "By flipping Skelengel over, I draw one more card." She pulled one more card from her deck. "Now. I sacrifice Skelengel and summon the Shadow Ghoul!" Skelengel vanished and a green mutated mantis-like creature with many red eyes and orbs on its grotesque body emerged. Its Attack's 1,600 and Defense's 1,300. "And get this, for each monster in my graveyard, Shadow Ghoul gains 100 Attack Points." Shadow Ghoul's Attack grew a little to 1,700. "Now Shadow Ghoul… take Ash down!" Shadow Ghoul raced in and slashed Ash across his body. His Life Points fell to 2,300. He staggered a little.

"I activate Jar of Greed!" Ash wove his hand over one card, flipping up to show a red jar with a smug for a face. "This allows me to draw a card." Just like the card described, Ash drew a card from his deck before discarding the trap card.

"Just an extra card you have. Anyway, I end my turn!" This allowed Ash to draw another card.

"Gotta do something about this before I lose anymore Life Points…" Looking at his new card, he smiled. "I play Toon Alligator in Attack Mode!" With a mere 800 Attack, Toon Alligator emerged while spinning his axe. Rebecca chose to educate Ash on the Attack difference.

"Ash, what plan do you have that you're attacking with Toon Alligator?"

"Oh… this!" He clicked on a button. One card flipped up, revealing Ultra Evolution Pill. "Rex… thanks… I play Ultra Evolution Pill and sacrifice Toon Alligator for Megazowler!" Toon Alligator took a pill and swallowed it before it morphed as Ash laid the new card down. From Toon Alligator became a peach-colored spiky triceratops. Its Attack's 1,800 and Defense's 2,000. "Go, Megazowler! Send the Shadow Ghoul to the graveyard! Triple Tusk!" Megazowler charged and smashed Shadow Ghoul to the ground. Rebecca's Life Points dipped just a bit to 3,900.

"Okay, that was a decent response. If that's all you're gonna do…" She drew her next card. "I'll go and I'll summon Dancing Fairy!" Rebecca placed the card on the field. The hologram revealed three fairies in white. One redhead wore a green flower collar, another redhead had a braided ponytail and the brunette wore blue shoulder guards. Their Attack's 1,700 while Defense's 1,000. Ash seemed puzzled by this move. "Next, I play the Shallow Grave!" The Magic card up revealed a monster coming out from underground. "This allows us to summon a monster we lost during battle, but in Defensive Mode. I'm bringing back Shadow Ghoul!" Rebecca's Shadow Ghoul reemerged.

"There's only one monster I can bring back… Toon Alligator!" The card returning, Ash laid Toon Alligator back down.

"Now, allow me to say that Toon Alligator's backing his bags again. I play Stop Defense!" Her Magic card emerged, showing a knight with an "X" over him. "Toon Alligator can't protect himself here!" Toon Alligator stood up to fight back. "Dancing Fairy, turn Toon Alligator into a purse! Fairy Beam!" Dancing Fairy fired three beams that struck Toon Alligator, destroying it again. Ash's Life Points fell to 1,400. Ash had to strike back as she offered her hand. "Looks like I'll have to prepare all sorts of texts for our lesson."

"Slow down, Teach! I've just begun!" He drew the next card. "Now, allow me to summon Neo, the Magic Swordsman in Attack Mode!" With the card down, the hologram showed Neo coming out. "Neo, send Shadow Ghoul back to his grave!" With 1,700 Attack, Neo slashed Shadow Ghoul and destroyed it. "Let's get back into the game! Megazowler, take out her Dancing Fairy!" Megazowler raced in and bowled Dancing Fairy over. Rebecca's Life Points fell a little again, down to 3,800.

"Smart move taking out Dancing Fairy, but now I can use this: Rope of Life!" The trap card flipped up and showed a knight holding onto a rope. "I throw my hand into the graveyard and bring Shadow Ghoul back out!" Shadow Ghoul reemerged and his Attack's up to 2,700.

"Whoa, what's with the Attack boost!?"

"Rope of Life grants Shadow Ghoul 800 Attack, plus three monsters in my graveyard," she explained. Ash gritted at the chances dwindling.

"Does Ash have a chance?" asked Serenity.

"Ash isn't one who surrenders and I know he's got something in his sleeve," Duke trusted. Ash wove his hand to signal Rebecca's turn and she drew a card. It's the only one in her hand.

"I'll have to put up my defensive front," she offered. "I play Scapegoat!" She inserted a card down which showed four colored sheep. "With Scapegoat, I put four Sheep Tokens on the field!" Surrounding the Shadow Ghoul were four sheep of different colors: pink, yellow, red and blue. All four had nothing for Attack and Defense. "Meanwhile, I'd better attack your Megazowler!" Shadow Ghoul clawed at Megazowler but Ash had a trap laid in wait.

"This gives me a chance to do this: Two-Pronged Attack!" The Trap Card appearing had a yellow mechanical hand and a reptile hand coming together. "I use Two-Pronged Attack and sacrifice Neo and Megazowler to destroy Shadow Ghoul!" Neo mounted Megazowler as the two crashed into Shadow Ghoul at full speed. All three monsters exploded and all Rebecca had were the quartet of sheep. Ash was defenseless.

"Alright, that wasn't a bad move. Anyway, I'm done. Try getting pass my Scapegoat shield." Ash drew his next card.

"Alright… I'll put this card face-down in Defense Mode and call it a turn." The new card emerged where Rebecca drew her next card.

"No attack? Not to worry… I got Ruby Dragon!" She laid the card up, appearing as a red dragon with a parrot-like beak. The Attack's 1,600 and Defense's 1,300. "Go, Ruby Dragon! Take that face-down! I also activate this! Dragon's Rage! Any Dragon that destroys a monster in Defense Mode will pierce your Life Points!" Ruby Dragon raced after the face-down but was met with a boxing glove. The face-down monster was a green kangaroo wearing boxing gloves and a purple vest. "WHAT!?" Ash smiles as he showed the kangaroo to her as her Life Points fell to 3,600.

"My Des Kangaroo says differently. Not only does Des Kangaroo withstand Ruby Dragon's attack, but your dragon's gone." Ruby Dragon shattered. Since that was Rebecca's only move, she surrendered her turn. Ash drew his next card. "I gotta say, this is better than the other day against Rex and Weasel." Joey, Tristan and Téa laughed to the mock.

"Good one!" she snickered.

"I sacrifice Des Kangaroo to bring forth… Hunter Spider!" With the replacement of Des Kangaroo, Hunter Spider emerged, surprising Yugi and Joey. Hunter Spider was a giant spider with six insect-like legs with two man-like legs, all striped orange and black. Its Attack's 1,600 and Defense's 1,400.

"That's Weevil's card!" noted Yugi. Ash eyed the Scapegoat group.

"Hunter Spider, let's put one of these goats out to pasture!" Hunter Spider spat a web onto the blue Scapegoat and brought it over to devour. The attack did nothing to Rebecca's Life Points. "That's it for me."

"And now, it's my turn." She drew her next card, ready to use. "I'll use Pot of Greed and gain two cards." Showing Pot of Greed, she gained two cards from her deck. She saw one that could help her. "Now, I play Luster Dragon in Attack Mode!" The card on the disk, a blue dragon emerged with same head as Ruby Dragon. Its Attack's 1,900 and Defense's 1,600. "Let me deal with that the same way you did Weevil! Luster Dragon, attack with Luster Blast!" Luster Dragon shot a fireball from the mouth, roasting Hunter Spider. His Hunter Spider gone, Ash's Life Points fell to 1,100.

"Ash beat Rex and Weevil without taking damage!" pointed Joey. "Why is it so hard this time around!?" When Rebecca pointed to Ash, it was his turn and he drew his next card.

"I summon Maha Vailo! In Attack's Mode!" Putting the card down, a man in a blue cloak and what seemed like blades protruding from the back. His Attack's 1,550 and Defense's 1,400. "Next, I play Graceful Dice!" The Magic Card was inserted and up came a yellow winged man-like creature holding a blue dice. "Let's roll!" The creature tossed the dice. It bounced a few times before it came to a stop. Six spots were up. "That's a big roll! Maha Vailo Attack goes up by 600 Points!" Maha Vailo's Attack rose to 2,150! "Maha Vailo, shattered her Luster Dragon!" Maha Vailo fired crystals which shattered Luster Dragon. Rebecca gasped and her Life Points fell 3,350. "Now, I'll lay two cards face-down and end my turn." This allowed Rebecca to draw the next card.

"Alright, I play Graceful Charity!" The Magic Card she laid down had an angel holding a card above her hands. "I draw three cards while discarding two of them." After making her choices from three new cards and throwing two to the graveyard, she prepared to attack. "I'll lay one card face-down and end my turn." Ash drew his next card.

"I'll do the same, except Maha Vailo will attack another Scapegoat." Maha Vailo unleashed another crystal barrage which destroyed the yellow Scapegoat. "Your go!" Rebecca drew her next card.

"Now I play my trap card!" What arose from a face-down card was a card picturing a graveyard with smoke in the background. "Call of the Haunted! This allows me to bring a monster back from my graveyard, and I bring back Ruby Dragon!" Just as she called out, Ruby Dragon emerged. Ash felt that he needed to do something. "But Ruby Dragon's not gonna stay… when I play this: Adamantine Sword Revival!" Ash blinked to the card. "Adamantine Sword Revival allows me to sacrifice Ruby Dragon and replace him with Diamond Head Dragon!" She replaced the card and Call of the Haunted by sending those to the graveyard for a giant light emerald dragon. Its Attack's nothing but Defense's 2,800. "Diamond Head Dragon takes Ruby's Attack Power and inserts 1,000 more." Diamond Head Dragon's Attack ballooned to 2,600. Ash gulped to this. "Diamond Head Dragon, Diamond Storm!" Diamond Head Dragon unleashed a rainbow flame that scorched Maha Vailo, and Ash took a huge hit as his Life Points fell to only 50.

("Fight, Ash!") cheered Pikachu. Ash rose to his feet, not done with this duel. Ash stood and faced Rebecca.

"I guess it's time for the ultimate comeback," he grinned. "And it's my turn!" He drew his next card. "First, I have my own Call of the Haunted!" Ash's card flipped up to show the same card. I bring back Maha Vailo to the scene!" Maha Vailo arose from the earth to fight more. His Attack rose to 2,050. "Now, I can summon Nin-Ken Dog to the field!" Nin-Ken Dog emerged when his card was placed. "Also, I wanted to give Maha Vailo a little kick in Big Bang Shot!" The Magic Card that Ash entered was a martial artist doing a dive kick. "With this, Maha Vailo gains 400 more Attack… and since I'm equipping it to him, Maha Vailo gains another 500 Attack on top!" Maha Vailo's Attack rose to 2,950. "Nin-Ken Dog, take out another Scapegoat!" Nin-Ken Dog raced in and slashed the red Scapegoat. "Maha Vailo, take that last one down!" Maha Vailo fired another crystal barrage.

"And Big Bang Shot will deal piercing damage!" realized Duke. The pink Scapegoat shattered and Rebecca's Life Points collapsed to only 400.

"And that will do it for me," Ash sighed. Rebecca's drew her next card.

"This is over for you," she declared. "Diamond Head Dragon, attack Nin-Ken Dog and win me a lesson for Ash!" Diamond Head Dragon prepared to fire another round.

"Not yet! I play Sakuretsu Armor!" Ash's face-down card came face up to reveal someone in spiked armor with two guys in red blown away. Diamond Head Dragon exploded. Rebecca gawked to the change of events.

"NO!" Rebecca's face had gone pale. She shook it off. "I place one monster face-down in Defensive Mode and end it." Ash sighed, believing this duel was over as he drew the last card.

"Maha Vailo, finish this off!" Maha Vailo fired one more crystal which nailed a black ladybug with a skull and crossbones on it. Rebecca's Life Points fell to zero and she collapsed to her knees, crying. "Rebecca!?" He dashed over to Rebecca's side.

"That was Skull-Mark Ladybug, right?" asked Tristan.

"It was, but it wasn't important since Maha Vailo's attack was more than her Life Points and Skull-Mark Ladybug's effect combined," Yugi informed. Téa also came to Ash's and Rebecca's side after Pikachu boarded her shoulder.

"Are you okay, Rebecca?" asked Ash.

"I don't wanna…" whined Rebecca. "Yugi! I'm sorry!" Ash remembered the wager.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Rebecca. It's just a silly wager." Rebecca gasped and stopped crying for the moment. "Besides, I had a great duel with you."

"Yeah, nearly losing by having only 50 Life Points," Téa teased. Ash nudged Téa by the arm.

"What I'm saying is that we don't need a date because of the duel," he concluded. Rebecca's eyes saw the sincerity of Ash's face to withdrawing from the date. She closed her eyes and thought to herself about Ash. After standing, Ash offered a hand. "Come on up. I'm sure we'll make sure you're home." Rebecca reached and he and Téa lifted her to her feet.

"Hey, it's gonna get dark soon," Tristan pointed out. "Let's get a bite to eat before we retire for the day."

"Good idea," Serenity accepted. As Ash began to regroup with Yugi, a hand snatched his. Turning, Ash found Rebecca by his side.

"Ash…" she whispered. "I-I… I want to… I want to have this date… okay?" Ash jumped in surprise. She wanted to fulfill the wager.

"Are you sure?" he questioned. "If you don't wanna do it, we don't need to. No one's forcing us to have this." To Rebecca, her heart felt a desire.

"I… I want to know if there's something between us. Is it okay?" Her request awed Ash. He soon smiled.

"Think Friday will work?" The day suggested, Rebecca nodded.

"Friday sounds good." Téa and the boys awed the two now wanting to have an evening together.

"Hey, it gives us a few days to prepare and plan," Téa points out. "Plenty of time…" Ash, Rebecca and Pikachu nodded to the suggestion. With the sun beginning to set, the day had just about ended. Now, Ash has a date with a girl who's been after Yugi. What could the date contain?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	11. Date Out of this World

Chapter 11: Date Out of this World

* * *

Rebecca lost to Ash in a close duel and fulfilled her promise to go on a date with him. Losing by a mere 50 Life Points, she now prepared with Serenity, Mai, Téa, Pikachu and an elderly gray-haired, gray-mustached man in a white business suit getting her set-up in a hotel room. "I'm actually surprised that you're willing to go through this, Rebecca," Téa awed. "Maybe if Tristan and Duke didn't huddle in about this, the idea of a date wouldn't have come up." Rebecca's face was about concern.

"This is the first time I've been on a date," she mulled. "Though, if you ask me, those two are worried that Serenity would go with Ash to the Pokémon World." Mai nodded to Rebecca's assessment.

"No surprise that those two would be the ones wanting Joey's sister for themselves," she murmured. "It's no wonder that young man can't leave her alone… and I don't blame him." Téa scoffed to Mai's subtle anguish.

"Aren't you still after Ash, yourself?" she pointed out.

"Oh, Téa… if you knew my intentions, you wouldn't be asking such a silly question." Téa expressed a smug to Mai.

"How's Rebecca's set going?" asked the elderly man. The girls turned to the elder.

"She should be close to done, Arthur," Serenity informed with Pikachu sleeping in her arms. Finally, Rebecca emerged, wearing a blue jacket over a white blouse and a blue skirt. She also wore the white knee-socks and blue slippers.

"Well?" she asked. Mai sneered to the wardrobe.

"Nice…" she agreed. At Yugi's home, Yugi, Joey, Duke and Tristan tended to give Ash a new look. He donned a black muscle shirt under a black windbreaker jacket with lightning decorations imprinted. His hair was slicked back.

"Hey, not looking too shabby," Tristan studied. Heracross entered with Solomon to find the new appearance of Ash.

"Well, I can say that he'd be a fine young man going to a goth-style party," Yugi's grandfather judged. Even Yugi had doubts about the outfit.

"Maybe the shirt's too coincidental…" he muttered. He wasn't alone.

"I was gonna say, he looks like a younger me without the headband," Duke agreed. "We can keep the jacket… After all, I heard the temps are dropping to the upper 50's this afternoon… but let's go for something a little formal." This made Yugi and Joey question.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Joey. Duke reached Ash and began to clothe him. A minute later, Ash now wore a silky t-shirt with a dragon scale pattern. To Ash, the shirt under the windbreaker made him laugh.

"Talk about referencing Thunder Dragon," he recognized. Tristan grabbed a comb and hair gel.

"Before you go…" he grinned. "Time to top this mop!" As Tristan finished on Ash's hair, Rebecca found herself with Mai and Pikachu at the same street where Ash dueled her. A minute later, Ash arrived and Pikachu was the first to notice.

("There you are!") he squeaked. Rebecca and Mai spotted Ash now wearing a combed down hairstyle. Mai and Rebecca snickered to the hairstyle, much to Ash's chagrin.

"Not a word about about my hair," he groaned. "Not… one… word…" Rebecca and Mai calmed down before Mai fixed Ash's hair.

"Those boys don't prefer the natural look, apparently," she mocked as getting Ash's hair back to as normal as possible. The gel weighed the wild strands upward. "Best I could do…" Rebecca grabbed Ash's hand and dragged him across the street, leaving Mai with Pikachu.

"Come on!" she insisted. "Let me show you somewhere!" In 15 minutes, they first arrived in a cylinder-like dome with a sign in front.

"DOMINO CITY PLANETARIUM"

Ash and Rebecca entered and she reached the control panel. "Ash, how many planets are there in the Solar System?" she asked. Ash thought for a minute.

"Is it ten?" he guessed.

"Close… eight. The sun's a star, not a planet." A few presses on the control panel, the planetarium had gone dark and a projection of a scaled Solar System appeared on the ceiling. He watched the rotating spheres around a giant swirling sphere of red, orange and yellow. Ash awed the scaled version.

"For a star, it's a bit on the big side…" There were labels and branches connected to each sphere. Ash eyed the nine spheres that circled the sun. "Earth… Venus… Mercury… Mars… Pluto… Saturn… Jupiter… Uranus… Neptune… Wait, didn't you say eight? I have nine."

"Yeah, Pluto has been speculated as a Dwarf Planet since it's been judged too small to be a planet to begin with. There's also been additional addresses about other Dwarf Planets around the Solar System, though lack of evidence and mere speculations have drugged on for awhile. I doubt they teach this in the Pokémon World, but Roman Mythology named gods after these planets and Pluto, like Ares, the Greek God of War is named Mars in the Roman term."

"Whoa… And since gods are bigger than us, I can see how that makes sense. I mean, Jupiter dwarfs the other planets by a lot, and those rings around Saturn don't count in that makeup as well."

"You're right… and wrong." Hearing the two answers, Ash blinked to Rebecca.

"Wait, what?"

"You're right on the surface level that Jupiter's the largest planet in the Solar System, but what Jupiter is, basically, a cosmic sphere of hydrogen and other gases swirling around a surface barely bigger than Earth's core." Ash gawked to the explanation.

"You're kidding!" He looked back to Jupiter, a sphere of various shades of brown with a compiled cloud in one section. "It's a tiny planet inside that gassy ball?"

"Pretty much. The gravity's not as gripping as it is on Earth, let alone Mars." Ash just seemed in awe about Jupiter's description.

"It's a small planet wrapped in a big ball… Talk about a world of its own." Hearing Ash made Rebecca laugh.

"You can say that again!" Ash also snickered but then began to think back.

"You know, I recall stories about where Pokémon come from and remembering Mount Moon, I'm beginning to believe that Pokémon like Pikachu and Clefairy… Maybe Jigglypuff… that they may be from a distant world who came to Earth for a better living." Rebecca's mind was drawing a blank.

"I… don't follow…"

"Let me start at the top: where I'm from, Pokémon are everywhere and assume a lot of types. Sometimes, Pokémon are our lifestyle and for scientists, they've been research from the millions of years ago like with Aerodactyl, Kabutops to today with over 200 types to count. I mean, what about us? Were we also outside of Earth who came in and invaded it to call home?"

"Hit the brakes! You're starting to lean into theories of evolution!" Ash gawked to Rebecca's warning but recovered.

"Sorry… but seeing this made me start to think about what's out there and how much we've learned." Ash continued to stare at the rotating planets before he and Rebecca reached a theater, one with four people saluting as a small plane entered their ears and out the other side.

HOT SHOTS – PART DEUX remastered in HD, 25th ANNIVERSARY

In the theater, Ash and Rebecca watched as crowds cheered in the film. "Setting the stage early," Ash awed.

"My dad did say this was his favorite comedy movie with all the slapstick involved," Rebecca pointed out. "He was a big Sheen fan." Ash and Rebecca watched as some foreign shouting blared on the sets. The fight began and Ash and Rebecca faces cringed.

"Ref, get outta there!" Another hit made the two wince again.

"I thought this kickboxing match was between Topper and that other guy!"

"Both fighters are starting to show serious signs of fatigue," an announcer explained. "They're not moving around the ring as much, and this is where any conditioning pays off." The fight had Rebecca enjoying the scene.

"Charlie Sheen versus Jackie Chan in a similar fight," she suggested.

"Does it involve knives?" pointed Ash. That's when there was giggling.

"No… nor does it involve… tickling…" Suddenly, a strike. Both Ash and Rebecca cringed in pain while reaching in their legs.

"Good grief, not there!"

"So much for babies!" Sounds of nuts hitting the floor echoed before the two looked again.

"You win…" someone said with a high pitched voice. Soon, there's cheering.

"What a way to start the movie," Rebecca chuckled. After the movie, Ash and Rebecca stopped by a pizza parlor.

"Using a chicken as an arrow has got to be one of the most ridiculous ways to take down your enemies," Ash criticized while eating a slice with pepperoni, shrimp, black olives and green peppers.

"Look, sometimes… you gotta be a little unorthodox… You know, outside-the-box?" The simplified mentioning made Ash laugh.

"Story of my life…" Rebecca blinked to Ash's retort.

"Now, wait… Duel Monsters, you need as much luck and skill as possible, it's like how you drew Des Koala and Maha Vailo in your recent duels. From what you're conveying, Pokémon battles require similar sets."

"And unlike Duel Monsters, Pokémon don't normally go down in one hit. Snorlax can take a few heavy strikes and still stand. And I don't think I need to tell you that there are dragons in our world as well." The remark made Rebecca point to Ash with a pizza slice.

"You did. By the way, if there's someone you wanted to bring over to your Pokémon World…"

"Now, Rebecca… I'd rather not choose who to bring over. If Serenity wants to, if Pegasus, if Mokuba, if Bakura… Let them come by and see. Now, I'm not choosy, but as long as it's not Weevil…" Seeing his pained face, Rebecca sensed the reason for Weevil's exception.

"After his reaction to this Misty, I concur… but why Weevil and not Rex?" Taking a deep breath, Ash decided to explain.

"Well, this was before I saw him give Weevil that two-headed coin… Yugi and Joey told me that even though he's a bit on the nasty side, he does play the game fairly. Heck, if he didn't side with Team Rocket to take Pikachu, I'd be totally cool with him."

"Ah, so he would've been okay if not sticking with Bug Boy and those two simpletons. Speaking of Pikachu, you don't seem to be too worked up about not having him by your side."

"What, you don't think Serenity isn't doing a good job taking care of Pikachu?"

"I'm implying that you have faith that if anything were to befall you, at least your Pokémon have someone to turn to." Ash bobbed a nod, knowing his Pokémon knew what to do. Pikachu happened to peer over Joey's shoulder at a booth on the other side of the parlor. He had tomato sauce over his mouth and cheeks.

("There he is!") he squeaked. Before Pikachu could run to Ash's side, Joey reeled him back, covering his mouth.

"Don't bro!" he warned with Yugi, Téa and Serenity with him. "You'll blow our cover!" Pikachu stopped when he realized the outcome.

"I can understand his excitement," Téa studied.

"And you're the one who wanted to come here since that's 'what your stomach wanted'," Yugi pointed out. Joey acted a little defensive.

"My stomach or this little guy's?" he countered, referring to Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon rose his paw.

("I wanted to try this,") he admitted. ("I'm sorry…")

"Hey, no one's mad at you," Serenity assured. After they (all) ate, Ash and Rebecca moved to some shopping. Going through clothing racks, Ash found an aquamarine t-shirt with a mermaid shooting an arrow from a clam. The green-haired mermaid had a blue tail while wearing a white brassier.

"This could work for Misty," he believed. Rebecca saw the mermaid decal.

"Red Archery Girl," she recognized. "Not a bad choice." As he sifted through shelves and racks, Rebecca's mind and heart beat to Ash. _'I'm… I can't believe I'm thinking this: my heart and my mind want him over Yugi!_ _Is it his charm? His demeanor?_ _His Pikachu? I'm not sure what it is that enamors me to him… but my feelings don'_ _t seem to mind. Heck, my heart and my mind says that he's better suited!"_ Ash found some clothes and other accessories for his friends back in his world, including a large cyan shirt with a green dragon's head and a scar over an eye that didn't seem to be touched. There was a tiny orange t-shirt with what seemed to be tiger stripes and another tiny button-down orange t-shirt with a scaly white middle. Rebecca had picked up a few items as well as she wore Ash's jacket, keeping her warm.

"I know Pikachu and Togepi will like these."

"And that Eye of Timaeus t-shirt for Brock?" A giggle from Ash told her the ordeal. "Gotcha…" They soon reached a hotel. Arthur stood inside, adjacent to the door. "Ash, can I… say something before you go?"

"Sure…" They stood face-to-face.

"I fell in love with Yugi after he showed me the point of Duel Monsters. I believed he and I were… meant to be. Sure, I had to deal with Téa… a lot… and then, you arrived. I denied you for a long time, but overtime… my heart's been gradually swayed away from Yugi to you. I mean… here you are, someone who came by and learned Duel Monsters and showed the skills that may defeat Yugi and Seto. You're strong, you're kind, you're inspirational… My goodness, your sense of humor and your caring personality…" Ash heard the list and placed his hands on Rebecca's shoulders.

"Listen, Rebecca… I didn't come here on purpose, let alone learn the game of Duel Monsters… I learned a lot, from Yugi, from Pegasus… and from you."

"I'd contest that statement… but I don't care what you did to get here… but I'm glad that you did, even for my passion." She leaned in on Ash's face and shared a kiss lasting several seconds, her foot popping up. Mai and Pikachu watched the kiss between Ash and Rebecca.

"Ash, you struck lightning," she teased. "You're one step closer to becoming a man… a larger step passing Joey."

("He's my man, alright,") Pikachu softly squeaked. ("And Rebecca's a good match.") Ash and Rebecca broke lips and Rebecca's finger pressed softly on Ash's lips.

"There go our virgin lips," she teased. "I may have kissed Yugi on the cheek but that's disqualified." Ash smiled to the kiss, grateful to the love he received. "Goodnight, my fire." She walked from Ash, their date complete.

"I guess I should say…" he pondered. "Goodnight… my Hawk." Rebecca's ears picked it up before she smiled back.

"Good one!" she entered inside the hotel and met up with her grandfather. Ash turned back to the street, heading back to Yugi's home. That's when he heard heels hitting the concrete and turned. With a smug on her face, Ash saw Mai with Pikachu on her shoulder.

"Congratulations, little chick," she sneered. "You've started to grow your wings for flight." Pikachu leaped down as Mai leaned in and hugged Ash, surprising him. "I bet if your mother saw this, she'd be proud of you." Noting the compliment, Ash accepted and returned the hug.

"Thanks, Mai," he praised. The two broke before Mai guided Ash back, Pikachu on his shoulder. It was a new beginning for Ash. It was a new beginning for Rebecca. What else could await them?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	12. Rebecca's Lament

_Chapter 12: Rebecca's Lament_

* * *

A new day started. Ash and Pikachu were with Yugi and friends at Yugi's home. "The 25th anniversary of Hot Shots, Part Deux?" questioned Joey. "I knew you're a funny guy, but come on…"

"What?" he scoffed. "I heard it was a classic! Saw it and boy, was it ever!"

"I'm not saying slapstick comedy's not funny, but I'm surprised they didn't have the classic Holy Grail… especially this scene." Getting up, Joey had Tristan stand and face them, holding plastic knives to each other.

"That Black Knight scene, huh?" he suspected. "Alright, I'm the Black Knight for this."

"Great, we get breakfast and a show!" teased Téa. Joey playfully slashed Tristan in the free arm and he dropped it to his side. The knife wasn't within reach of the arm, thus no blood.

"Now, stand aside, worthy adversary!" acted Joey. Tristan offered a sneer.

"Tis but a scratch!" he snarled with his sneer.

"A scratch!? Your arm's off!"

"No, it isn't." Joey pointed the knife to Tristan's "limp" arm.

"Then what's that?" Tristan turn his head to the arm before smiling back at Joey.

"I've had worse."

"You liar!"

"Come on, you-"

"Ahem!" stopped Solomon. All turned to the elder Muto, the actors gulping the most. "I will not allow Monty Python to ruin a good meal. Do I make myself clear?" Joey's and Tristan's heads nodded, fearing any repercussions.

"Well, I did say that Joey certainly knows how to act," Yugi nervously laughed. Ash wondered about the result.

"So, the Black Knight wins?" asked Ash.

"No, and despite losing all his limbs, the Black Knight still wants to fight," Yugi corrected. "They settled with a draw, despite the Black Knight's decision." Ash seemed incredibly puzzled to the result.

("How can he fight without limbs?") wondered Pikachu. While trying to figure out the ordeal, Rebecca journeyed through the streets and on her way to Yugi's home. Seeing her on her journey, Arthur reached Rebecca before she left his sight.

"Dear, where are you going?" he questioned. Rebecca turned to see Arthur with a pained face.

"To Yugi's place, Grandpa," she answered. "There's a couple of things I gotta do." Arthur seemed in awe about his granddaughter's urge to face someone.

"Do you mind if I understand these issues?" Rebecca looked to the road ahead.

"If you want… Besides… Last night, I had a change of heart… and I don't necessarily mean the card." To Arthur, she had something to get off her chest.

"I see… If this is something you must resolve, I'll make sure you do so." Supported, Rebecca's head bobbed before she raced ahead. Back at Yugi's place, Ash had his Pokémon out. As usual, Totodile danced to being released.

"I'm sure if Ash needs any energy, Totodile can provide some," Serenity teased.

"Anyway, I'm sure you can tell us about raising Pokémon if that were to happen," Duke pondered.

"Well, it's not like raising a dog, that's for sure," Ash shrugged. "I mean… how many dogs do you know that can breathe fire?" No one had an answer to that, but Joey did have a guess.

"I'm gonna be a little wild on this but only in the circus," he assumed. Someone else decided to correct Joey on that assessment.

"I've seen people imitate breathing fire but not a dog, Wheeler," Mokuba sighed. His arrival awed Ash and the Pokémon.

"Wait, you're interested in Pokémon, Mokuba?" he wondered.

"Well, kinda… I was wondering if all you do is battle, battle and battle some more." The younger Kaiba brother's belief made Ash itch his head.

"For the most part, yeah… but it doesn't always have to be battling. Sometimes, you'd want a Pokémon as a pet to have around the house or a Pokémon to work alongside on the job." Hearing Ash adding information about Pokémon made Mokuba sigh in relief.

"So there _is_ more to Pokémon than battling… I bet some, you can use as transportation like a plane or a car."

"You'd be right about it. You can use Pokémon to travel through the air, overseas or in the sky." To Téa, it would be like nostalgia.

"Like reliving your youth of riding your dog like you're playing Cowboys and Indians," she pointed out. The boys chuckled to the remark.

"You rode a dog, Téa?" teased Tristan. Téa gawked but recovered to offer a snap reply.

"Hey, don't tell me you never rode on an animal while still a kid, Tristan!" Hearing an upset Téa, Ash sighed to the rebuttal.

"Of course, some Pokémon you can't ride right away like Ponyta or Lapras," he corrected. "I've learned it firsthand. Some Pokémon need to gain your trust… know that too well with Pikachu." The Mouse Pokémon nodded as Mai arrived and picked him up.

"Wait, you were disobedient, you little rascal?" she teased. Pikachu gawked to seeing the elder blond.

("I didn't trust him, alright,") he admitted. Hearing Pikachu's tone, Mai became curious.

"But you two are great friends, otherwise you wouldn't have helped him against Weevil, right?" Her slender fingers rubbed on Pikachu's stomach, causing him to laugh.

("Stop! That tickles!") Seeing how close Mai and Pikachu were made Ash believe the duelist had options.

"Suddenly, seeing her with a Hoppip or an Oddish is a good start," he assessed. To Joey, this was an opportunity.

"Alright, Mai!" he shouted. "How about we have a Pokémon Duel!?" Mai seemed surprised but Ash palmed his face.

"It's Pokémon _Battle…_ " he corrected. Joey glanced to Ash, rather confused about the ordeal.

"You battle?" he repeated. "You don't duel?" Joey's supposed opponent didn't mind the mix-up.

"That's fine, Joey," Mai smiled. "I'll use Pikachu."

"Okay…" accepted Joey. "Then, I'll use Totodile!" The decision made Ash gawk. He soon straightened out. Rebecca found the group and dashed over.

"Am I late?" she called out. All turned to Rebecca's arrival.

"Hey, Rebecca!" greeted Yugi. Rebecca came over to Yugi as Ash wrote down notes for both sides. Pointing to the side, Yugi and Rebecca got out of eyesight, except Téa saw it.

' _Don't tell me she still wants Yugi, even after that date,'_ she thought before slinking away. Staying hidden, she overheard the conversation.

"So, what's up, Rebecca?" asked Yugi. Rebecca's face aimed at Yugi.

"I'm sorry for doing this," she apologized with a sad face. "But I'm breaking up with you." Yugi's eyes lit up as Téa gasped. "After my night with Ash, I… I believe you're not worth hassling." Yugi awed her briefing. Téa grinned to the news.

"I'm sorry you feel that way… I know how much you wanted me and it's quite a turn for you to say no more." Téa ate the scene of Rebecca's surrender of Yugi's heart.

' _YES!'_ she cheered in her mind. _'I can take care of Yugi and bring him to America when we graduate!'_ Yugi placed his hands on Rebecca's shoulders.

"I'm sure there's someone that can be there for you," Yugi wished.

"About that… I've already found someone," Rebecca replied. Téa gawked to the response.

' _That was fast!'_ she gulped. Yugi stepped back from her retort.

"Really!?" he awed. "I have a funny feeling as to who." Rebecca's head nodded before they returned as Joey and Mai pocketed their notes.

"Alright, Totodile and I standby for battle!" announced Joey.

"I'm ready with Pikachu!" alerted Mai. Ash nodded to both sides when Yugi and Rebecca returned.

"Ash!" she cheered before hugging Ash. She even kissed him on the cheek, making Chikorita fuming. Tristan and Duke saw the love Rebecca gave and believed their fears were put to rest.

"At least Serenity won't have to worry about him now," Duke sighed.

"All that leaves is you and me," Tristan advised. Ash allowed Rebecca to come off as Bakura also arrived.

"Did I miss anything?" he called out. Seeing the arrival, Yugi waived him over.

"Not anything big yet," Yugi told. "We're about to watch a demonstration by Joey and Mai about Pokémon battles." Bakura seemed perplexed to the ordeal.

"Battle?" he repeated. Ash stood between Joey, Totodile, Mai and Pikachu.

"This is an exhibition Pokémon battle between Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine!" he announced. "Since each one will use one Pokémon each, we won't have to worry about substitutions!" He stretched both arms out to both duelists. "Let's begin!" Studying the notes provided by Ash, Joey made the first move.

"Alright, Totodile!" he grinned. "Water Gun!" Totodile sprayed a stream of water at Pikachu.

"I don't think so, Joey!" sneered Mai. "Use Agility to escape!" Pikachu leaped clear of the Water Gun. It began running around in circles around Totodile who started to become disoriented. "Now, get in with Quick Attack!" Pikachu changed direction and charged at Totodile.

"Think again, Mai! Use Headbutt!" Recovering, Totodile found Pikachu before lowering his head and rushed at Pikachu. Both collided but Pikachu recoiled back.

"Try another Quick Attack!" Pikachu couldn't move and winced. Mai seemed befuddled, as did Mokuba.

"Why isn't Pikachu attacking?" he asked.

"There are moves that will make Pokémon flinch," Ash informed. "And when they flinch, they can't attack." Sensing an opportunity, Joey struck.

"Let's close in with another Headbutt!" he called out. Totodile raced at Pikachu again, head first.

"Use Thunderbolt!" ordered Mai. Pikachu charged up before releasing a blast of electricity, nailing Totodile flush. The Big Jaw Pokémon staggered back.

"We'll get another shot! Use Bite!" Totodile tried to move but felt a zap that kept him still. "I know you can move!" To Ash, it wasn't the case.

"Totodile's paralyzed," he assessed. Téa and Mokuba gawked to the news.

"Wait, paralyzed?" she repeated.

"It's a status ailment in battle. When paralyzed, they have a chance of not moving at all. Other ailments include sleep, poison, confused and others." Mokuba gulped to the conditions.

"That's a scary thought," he muttered. Mai seemed ready to attack again.

"Let's show no mercy, Pikachu!" she prepared. "Quick Attack!" Pikachu raced in again.

"Now, Totodile!" shouted Joey. "Get Pikachu with Bite!" Totodile recovered before opening his jaw and clamping it onto Pikachu's head. The Big Jaw Pokémon tossed Pikachu away. "Let's nail this win with Water Gun!" Totodile fired one more Water Gun to where Mai had to make a call.

"Channel that Water Gun with Thunder!" Pikachu fired more electricity than his Thunderbolt, blasting the Water Gun and then Totodile in full force. When the electricity stopped, Totodile was sprawled with his eyes swirling. Ash saw the downed Pokémon and wove his arm to Mai's side.

"Totodile cannot continue!" he judged. "Pikachu wins! This battle goes to Mai!" The victor smirked as Pikachu returned to Mai.

"That was a great show, Pikachu!" she cheered.

("You were great coaching!") he complimented as she hugged the Mouse Pokémon. Ash fed Totodile a yellow capsule. In a minute, Totodile came around.

"There you go," he assured. "One Revive does you good." Totodile got up and danced again.

"So that's a Revive?" repeated Yugi. "Kinda like Monster Reborn." Tristan and Serenity understood the similarity.

"That's one way to look at it," Tristan muttered. That evening inside the dining room of Yugi's home, there was more discussion.

"So, aside from Heracross, these Pokémon can become bigger?" asked Téa. "And… what was it called again?"

"It's called evolution," Ash added. "What happens is that Pokémon get bigger, take new forms and new abilities. Now, I haven't seen Totodile's, Chikorita's or Cyndaquil's evolved forms, but considering those three and Bulbasaur as Starter Pokémon, they'll have two evolutionary forms. I've seen Bulbasaur's and Pikachu's evolved forms. Bulbasaur can become Ivysaur and then Venusaur and Pikachu can become Raichu, but their methods are way different." He dug through his bag and opened a tiny chest. "Many Pokémon can evolve by training them, but some Pokémon like Pikachu have something like this." Opening the case, he showed off a green stone with a lightning bolt inside.

"What is it?" asked Bakura.

"It's a Thunder Stone," Ash answered. "With this, Pikachu becomes Raichu and an Eevee can become Jolteon."

"So it serves as a crutch?" wondered Serenity.

"Not sure how to answer it. In fact, there are evolutionary stones like the Thunder Stone: there's the Fire Stone, Water Stone, Leaf Stone and Moon Stone." Remembering the date, Rebecca recalled Ash talking about a place he's been to.

"I remember you talking about that when we were at the planetarium…" she thought back. Téa laughed to their first stop on their date.

"The planetarium!?" she chuckled. "Not exactly a date-worthy spot, I gotta say." Ash sighed to Téa's reaction.

"It's called 'unconventional,' Téa," Rebecca snorted. "But I did learn from Ash and he's a lot smarter than I anticipated." The conversation lasted before Rebecca decided to return. Ash and Mai came out to escort Rebecca, Pikachu riding on Mai's shoulder. "Ash, I may want a new career path… and it's your lessons today that's giving me this idea." To Ash and Mai, Rebecca sought a new road to travel.

"You wanna be a Pokémon Trainer?" he guessed.

"Can I?" Mai chuckled to Rebecca's eager request.

"Perhaps I can trade in my Duel Disk for a Pokéball with how good I was today," she suggested.

"Hey, I bet you both would be great Trainers," he believed. Mai and Rebecca smiled to the idea when Pikachu sensed something in the air. He looked around when he spotted a floating fireball.

("What's that?") he squeaked and pointed. Ash and the girls looked up. The fireball suddenly flew at Rebecca fast. Ash jumped and shoved Rebecca.

"Look out!" he snapped. The push came just before the fireball struck her. Ash felt the fireball strike him and something came out. Rebecca hit the road but watched at a small explosion erupted from Ash's body. He fell limp to the ground. Pikachu hopped off Mai's shoulder to tend to Ash. Everyone heard the thud and ran outside.

"Ash!" cried Rebecca. Mai turned him over as Yugi arrived. Ash's eyes showed no light. "ASH!" Rebecca and Pikachu tried anything to wake Ash up as Pharaoh's spirit picked something up.

" _Yugi, an evil spirit!"_ he warned. Laughter filled the air.

" _Well, so much for the girl,"_ a man echoed. _"But his spirit's as good as any to be back to the living."_ Out of thin air developed a blond man in a bandanna with a flag of the USA printed. He also wore a blue vest over a red shirt, cuffs and jeans. Immediately, Bakura realized who it was.

"Bandit Keith!?" he gawked.

"What have you done to my Ash!?" cried Rebecca.

"Oh, that was yours?" he scoffed. "I'm sorry… I meant to take your soul and force him to duel me for it! Well, it doesn't matter. I'm whole again and now, I can get back at Pegasus!" Yugi stood up, ready to claim Ash back.

"If you want Pegasus, you'll have to get through me!" he stammered with his Millennium Puzzle aglow. "Yu-Gi-Oh!" Yugi swapped places with the Pharaoh and he wasn't happy. "Keith, you will return Ash's soul at once." Keith scoffed again, not threatened in the least.

"My soul cannot rest until Pegasus feels my wrath!"

"If that's how you feel about it, then there's one way to resolve this: It's time to duel!" The Pharaoh faced Keith in a duel to save Ash's life. The battle began…

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	13. Soul Survival

Chapter 13: Soul Survival

* * *

Ash's soul had been ripped out by Bandit Keith. The pharaoh's anger summoned himself to face Keith in a duel. Their Duel Disks set, decks in the slots and 4,000 Life Points showing. Each duelist had five cards as Mai, Rebecca and Pikachu huddled around a practically dead trainer. "Let's Duel!" they shouted.

"I'll go first," Keith started. "And I'll put one card face-down in Defense Mode." One card was laid down sideways. "Next, I'll lay two more cards and end my turn!" Pharaoh drew a card and prepared to strike.

"My move," he declared. "And I'll start with Beta, the Magnet Warrior!" With the card down on the Duel Disk, a yellow robot-like creature with ball-bearings for limbs and magnets for hands and horns on its head. Its Attack's 1,700 and Defense's 1,000. "Beta, attack his face-down card!" Beta charged at the face-down when it flipped up. Out sprung a red ball with steel spider legs that wrapped around Beta.

"Looks like you've fallen into my trap! Say hello to my Blast Sphere!" Pharaoh gasped to the trap. "Blast Sphere's happy to give you a dose of reality as it will detonate and send your Life Points crumbling,,, but don't expect it to happen until your next turn." Pharaoh's grit showed itself as the rest of Yugi's friends came out and saw Ash unconscious with Rebecca and Pikachu huddled over him.

"Ash!" shouted Téa. Joey picked him up by the shoulders to wake him.

"Come on, buddy!" he called out. Rebecca witnessed Ash's fate and told Yugi's friends.

"Keith's spirit took Ash's out of his body!" she explained. Seeing Keith, Joey, Téa and Tristan seethed.

"So, it's not enough that you cheated in Duelist Kingdom, huh!" snapped Tristan. Keith sneered to the group.

"You should've bowed to me in that tournament," he retorted. "Besides, your friend's dangling in a little thing called Purgatory: this Shadow Duel's gonna see if he stays or goes with Yugi."

"Tough talk for someone who uses children in their sick game," Pharaoh scowled. Three cards emerged behind Beta. "Your Blast Sphere's one case where you may have been a little hectic to get ahead." He pointed to Keith, his turn commenced. Keith drew his first card.

"Perhaps, I was… but I'm not too worried. After all, you dueling me to save her sweetheart's spirit… it just adds to your fate as well." He looked to his wristband. _'Besides, my Seven Complete cards are only a pull away.'_ He chose a card and prepared to play it. "I'll be using Ground Attacker Bugroth in Attack Mode!" What appeared was a walking green vehicle with two huge cylinders. Its Attack's 1,500 and Defense's 1,000. "But I won't attack yet. I'll end my turn and your Beta's about to be rubble as soon as you draw your card."

"Perhaps, but he won't stay down for long." When his card came out, Blast Sphere exploded with Beta. Pharaoh covered up but the damage was staggering as his Life Points fell to 2,300. He doubled over in some pain before getting back up "I won't be intimidated that easily. I summon Big Shield Gardna in Defense Mode!" With the card sideways, what appeared was a muscled man behind a giant purple shield. His Attack was a pathetic 100 but Defense was a staggering 2,600. "That's all I can do for now."

"Even then, it won't be enough." Keith drew his next card. "I now sacrifice Ground Attacker Bugroth to summon… Machine King!" What appeared was a man-like robot with red shoulders and cyan torso. There was also a red circular plate on its chest. Its Attack was at 2,200 before going up to 2,300. Its Defense was at 2,000. "And I'm gonna take a potshot at taking out your Big Shield Gardna."

"You might wanna do your math. There's only one machine monster on the field."

"It's not that I forgot that. I'll also play Machine Conversion Factory." The Magic card inserted, it looked like a factory. "This raises Machine King's Attack by 300." Now, Machine King's Attack was up to 2,600. "That's it for my turn."

"Then it's my move." Pharaoh drew his next card. "And I'll summon Electromagnetic Turtle in Defense Mode!" With the card placed, the hologram produced a metallic spiked turtle with S and N on the underbelly. It had no Attack but it had 1,800 Defenses. This also rose Machine King's Attack to 2,700. "That's the end of my turn." Keith drew his next card.

"Looks like the King of Games is _off_ his game! No matter, I'll summon Mechanincalchaser!" When the card was placed, the hologram made a lime green robot with jet-like wings and an assortment of weapons throughout. Its Attack was 1,850 while Defense stood at only 800. Machine King's Attack rose to 2,800. "Go, Machine King! Take out his Big Shield Gardna!" Machine King had his chest charged.

"And you fell for a trick that your mind couldn't comprehend. I activate Dark Renewal!" A Trap card flipped up where a circle was behind a coffin with a cross. "With this, I can send Machine King and my Electromagnetic Turtle to the graveyard!" Coffins came up and inserted Machine King and Electromagnetic Turtle. "Their sacrifices allow me to bring from my deck… Dark Magician!" The coffin opened and Dark Magician came out, his Attack at 2,500 and Defense at 2,100. Keith seethed at the ploy against him.

"Sorry to say but he won't be staying. I play Solemn Judgment" The Trap emerged to show an old bearded man with an outstretched hand. "I know you're trying to get Dark Magician in the game but it won't fly in my time." Dark Magician crumbled as Keith's Life Points slashed to 2,000.

"And since Electromagnetic Turtle was sent to the graveyard, your turn ends. My draw!" He drew a new card. I summon Queen's Knight in Attack Mode!" Now a blond woman in red armor emerged. Her Attack was 1,500 and Defense was 1,600. "Still, I refrain from attacking."

"That will cost you dearly…" Keith drew his next card. "I play Change of Heart!" The Magic card emerged after Keith inserted it into the disk which showed a blond woman with an angel and a devil wing holding a heart. "I'll gladly take your Big Shield Gardna." On command, Big Shield Gardna flew to Keith's side and faced Yugi. "Now, I sacrifice Mechanincalchaser and Big Shield Gardna… and summon my Slot Machine!" The two monsters vanished before a gold robot emerged, looking like a walking slot machine. It had a cannon on its right arm and lasers by the headlight. Its Attack's 2,000 and Defense's 2,300. "Slot Machine, take out her knightness!" Slot Machine powered a shot up before firing a round at Queen's Knight.

"At least you tried it without your 7 Complete." Queen's Knight was destroyed and Pharaoh Life Points fell to 1,800; his lead was gone, but pain emerged and he knelt.

"I'm saving that for later." _'But not much later.'_ "Anyway, I'm calling it a turn for now."

"And I'll make sure you don't use it. My draw!" Pharaoh drew his next card. "And I'll use Monster Reborn!" The magic card came up to show a silver cross and headpiece. "And I'll bring Queen's Knight back to the field!" Queen's Knight reemerged. "Now I'll summon King's Knight next!" This card was placed on the disk where a muscled blond bearded man in gold armor emerged. His Attack was 1,600 and Defense was 1,400. "Thanks to King's Knight, I can summon from my deck… Jack's Knight!" Coming out of his deck, Pharaoh placed a new card down where a muscular blond man in blue armor emerged with a shield and sword like Queen's Knight and King's Knight. His Attack was 1,900 and Defense was 1,000. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Again with no attack? Such a pity." Keith drew his next card. "Well, I'll take a chance with this: I play Zera Ritual!" Inserted, the Magic card opened to reveal a silhouette on a throne wearing green shoulder pads and gauntlets. "I'll sacrifice Gatekeeper and Pendulum Machine to summon… Zera the Mant!" Two silhouettes of creatures appeared on the ball-bearings of the throne when in a roar, a cyan skeletal demon revealed itself wearing a purple cape. Armed with giant claws, its Attack was 2,800 and Defense was 2,300. As Keith stretched his arm out for the command, Pikachu saw the wristband with two cards protruding out.

("What's that?") it squeaked. Keith aimed to launch his attack.

"Go, Zera! Dismantle his kingdom!" he ordered. Zera charged energy within the massive beak. It fired a beam at Yugi who grinned.

"It's not so easy since you've used Solemn Judgment," he sneered. "I activate Mirror Force! Hope you like that attack back at you!" A Trap card emerged to show a barrier that repelled an energy shot. The beam from Zera bounced off a barrier, split and destroy both Zera and Slot Machine. Keith gritted to the lost monsters.

"Whatever. I'll use Monster Reborn to bring Slot Machine back onto the field!" The same Monster Reborn card emerged before Slot Machine reappeared. "Next, I'll add a 7 Complete into the mix and add to his Attack Points." The Magic card was inserted where the picture had three "7" cards. Because he declared Attack, Slot Machine's Attack rose to 2,700. "Since I already attacked, my turn's done." Pharaoh drew his next card.

"My turn! And I'm gonna use Black Magic Ritual!" He inserted the Magic card which pictured a circle with two stands in front and a blue fireball in the back. "With this, I can summon-"

"Nothing with this!" Keith hit a button and a Trap card emerged, a picture of a circle with black gas showing. "Magic Jammer! One card thrown into the graveyard and your Black Magic Ritual is gone." Pharaoh's Magic card blew up where he gritted.

"Fine, but that means I can sacrifice King's Knight and summon Dark Magician Girl!" King's Knight disappeared and Dark Magician Girl emerged with her Attack at 2,300 and Defense at 1,700. "And it's time to attack as I use my Trap card: Ambush Shield!" His Trap card flipped up, revealing a picture of a man with an iron shield. "I sacrifice Queen's Knight for her Defense and give it to Dark Magician Girl!" Queen's Knight vanished and Dark Magician Girl's Attack ballooned to 3,900. "Go, Dark Magician Girl! Love Magic Attack!" Dark Magician Girl shot a magic missile that obliterated Slot Machine. Keith's Life Points fell to 800.

"But it's nothing, especially when I can activate this: my Time Machine!" Keith's Trap card rose and it pictured a black machine emerging from smoke. "My Slot Machine comes back and still has the same 7 Complete on it." This made Slot Machine come back to the game.

"Then I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn." Keith sneered as he reached for his wristband.

' _Now for my plan...'_ Suddenly, he locked up. Keith couldn't move. _'Wha- What's going on!?'_ Pharaoh's eyes watched as Keith fought his stiffness.

"Can it be?" Pikachu sensed Ash's spirit was fighting Keith and he poked a Pokéball. What popped out was Bulbasaur.

("What's going on?") he growled. Turning around, he saw Ash unconscious. ("Wake up!")

("He can't!") squeaked Pikachu. ("Right now, we need your Razor Leaf!")

("What!?") Pointing, Pikachu showed Bulbasaur the cards in Keith's wristband. ("Gotcha!") He flung leaves which broke the wristband. When it and the two cards, revealed to be 7 Complete cards, Keith returned to moving. Seeing the cards, Pharaoh wasn't impressed.

"Once a cheater," he snarled. "Always a cheater!" Keith reached for the two cards but Pikachu sped in with Quick Attack and stole Keith's cards.

"They're mine!" he yelled. Pikachu circled around and reached Rebecca to give her the cards.

"Thank you, Pikachu," Pharaoh praised. Dark Magician Girl's Attack fell back to 2,300.

"Very well… I'll summon another Ground Attacker Bugroth!" Keith placed one more Ground Attacker Bugroth on the field, the same stats from the previous monster emerged. "Now, Slot Machine… Drop Dark Magician Girl!" Slot Machine shot another beam, striking Dark Magician Girl and destroying her. Pharaoh's Life Points fell to 1,400 and once more, he winced.

"But she'll rise again!" Pharaoh hit a button which flipped a Trap card that had a knight holding a rope. He sneered. "I sacrifice my hand to play Rope of Life! With this, Dark Magician Girl resurfaces and gains a lot more Attack power than before!" Dark Magician Girl reappeared before Keith and her Attack rose to 3,400.

"Hold on… Dark Magician Girl's Attack is 3,400!? How!? You're cheating!"

"Not exactly… Rope of Life gives Dark Magician Girl 800 Attack Points. Also, she gains 300 Attack Points for every Dark Magician and Magician of Black Chaos." Quickly doing the math, Joey cheered to the new power.

"That's 1,400 total Attack Points!" he calculated.

"I'll get you next turn!" argued Keith.

"You won't…" scolded Pharaoh. "I draw!" Pharaoh drew one card. "First, I'll play Pot of Greed!" He showed the card to Keith. "I draw two more cards!" Looking at his new hand, he smiled. "And these will be the last two cards I'll need as I reveal Polymerization!" The Polymerization card emerged. "I merge Dark Magician Girl with Eye of Timaeus…" A teal dragon with a scar over its eye appeared briefly as it reached Dark Magician Girl and a light covered both. "Behold! Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight!" The new Dark Magician Girl emerged with white armor and riding the dragon. Her Attack was at 2,600 and Defense was at 1,700.

"In case you forgot to do math, my Slot Machine is still 100 Attack Points stronger!"

"Except when I discard a card into the graveyard, I can use Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight's special ability." Pharaoh slipped the card into the graveyard to where Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight's sword was aglow. "I can destroy any monster with this! Your Slot Machine is now destroyed!" Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight's sword sliced through Slot Machine. Keith was aghast. "Now, Jack's Knight! Slice the last Ground Attacker Bugroth!" Jack's Knight shredded Ground Attacker Bugroth. Keith's Life Points fell to 400. "Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight, show this cheater his last rights!" Dark Magician Girl, the Dragon Knight let the dragon burn Keith, the last of his Life Points emptying. "You lost everything… and now, you're casted back! Oblivion!" His shout shattered Keith in which he became nothing.

"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Keith's shout was the last thing as he vanished. A little while later, Ash began to open his eyes. Rebecca, Bulbasaur and Pikachu's faces saw Ash come around.

"Ash!" she cheered as she hugged him.

"Wha…" he groaned. "What happened?" Yugi came to Ash and offered his hand.

"Well, it's nothing to worry about," he dismissed. "You've been unconscious for about an hour."

"We were about to call an ambulance for you," Tristan joked. Ash rubbed his head.

"I remember that… thing flying at Rebecca and got in front…" he tried to recall. "Then I saw her and my Pokémon."

"Pretty much," Mai nodded. Ash now turned to Rebecca.

"You aren't hurt, right?" he asked. Rebecca sniffled before she removed her bands and glasses. She didn't want to stain the specs as she cried on Ash's shoulder.

"I couldn't have made a better choice for a boyfriend," she whimpered. One more sniff, she buried her lips onto his before her tongue played wrestling inside.

"O-kay!" gulped Téa. "Let's get to bed before you do anything else."

"Good idea," Duke agreed. Night fell and Ash and Rebecca slept with the girl still kissing Ash's lips. Rebecca was on top of Ash's shirtless torso, getting a feel of her new beau. Yugi watched for a little bit before retreating to his room at the shop. Meanwhile, Team Rocket reappeared and saw Pikachu sleeping by the window.

"Jackpot!" sneered Jessie.

"Now, we can get back at that guy for how he treated us!" snarled Rex.

"And soon enough to get that hottie redhead he hangs out with!" cheered Weevil. All huddled around the building.

"So, what's da plan?" mewed Meowth. Someone overheard the group and decided to make their entrance.

"There won't be!" he snapped. All turned to Bakura and he had a ring around the neck. That gold ring had five gold diamond-like droplets while the triangle looked a lot like Yugi's Millennium Puzzle.

"Bakura!" gawked Rex.

"Hey, no twerps allowed!" ordered James. Bakura sneered, wicked eyes fueling him.

"Twerps?" he repeated with a dark tone in his voice. "The only twerps I see are right in front of me… After all, I'm over 5,000 years old!" The boys began to fear while Jessie didn't seem phased.

"Please, you don't look any older than Rexious!" she scolded.

"Looks aren't everything, but where you're going…" The ring began to shimmer. "It'll be for an eternity." In a flash, Team Rocket screamed as something happened. When the flash dimmed, Bakura was the only one there? What happened to Team Rocket? And what else could become of Ash and Rebecca?

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	14. New Game, New Battle

_Chapter 14/Final: New Game, New Battle_

* * *

The new morning rose. Ash, Rebecca and Pikachu slept soundly as the sun bled into the room at Yugi's home. Rebecca's tightened hold on Ash didn't bother him while Pikachu started to wake. He peered to Ash and Rebecca, their bond solidified after Yugi's duel with Bandit Keith. Pikachu sensed something from outside the room. As he reached the door, Solomon opened it quietly, peering inside. "Oh, Pikachu," he quietly welcomed. "Good morning. I'll get you something to eat."

("Okay…") Pikachu accepted and exited the room. As he left, Rebecca began to wake, moans lisping from her mouth. Seeing her new boyfriend, Rebecca gave Ash a huge kiss on the lips, her hand palming his chest and tongue scraping his cheeks. Aroused, Ash gripped Rebecca around her torso. Finally, Ash woke to see his new girlfriend.

"Next time I want to get my feet wet…" he teased.

"I may be getting to that age already," she believed. Both shared laughs before getting out of bed. They uncovered the blankets, their legs drenched. Luckily, Ash found a couple of towels in the drawer. Reaching down the steps with dried legs, Ash and Rebecca saw Pegasus with a package.

"Ashy-boy!" he greeted. "I thought you'd still be here. After all…" He handed Ash his PokéDex. "You wouldn't leave this here. Even recharged it." Ash felt glad to have his device back.

"Thanks," he accepted. "Saves energy for Pikachu." That's when he saw the package. "Are all those new Duel Monster cards?"

"Almost all… one is a copy of my own and one that Yugi-boy has. The rest are Pokémon-based." Ash opened the package and saw numerous cards from a light brown mouse with a lightning rod for its tail to a large black dog with small horns. He found Dark Magician Girl and Toon Dark Magician Girl also in the deck, making Ash gulp. "Dark Magician Girl? And Toon Dark Magician Girl?"

"Well, Pegasus is known to have a sense of humor," Yugi giggled. Pikachu picked up the mouse's card and awed at it. The mouse had an Attack of 1,600 and Defense of 900.

("Is that Raichu-based?") he squeaked. ("Or after me?") Pegasus looked to the card.

"ThundRodent is modeled after you, Pikachu," he revealed. "It's like how I modeled Houndour for Devil Dog and Forestsaurus after Venusaur." Pikachu uncovered the purple card of a stegosaurus with small trees on its back.

"Forestsaurus is a Fusion of Sword Arm of Dragon and a Plant-type monster," Ash read. "You've really found a lot of inspiration with my Pokémon. Thanks!"

"No, I should be thanking you," Pegasus replied as they both shook hands. Solomon and Yugi smiled as witnesses to the shake. Soon, Yugi's friends came by to see some of the new cards, including a Magic card that pictured a nest of eggs, painted faces on them.

"Nest Egg can draw an 'Egg' monster from your deck to your hand?" read Joey. "Just imagine if I had a Red Eyes Black Chick in my deck…" Before he could, Téa corrected him.

"Hate to spoil it but Red Eyes Black Chick wouldn't count," she groaned. "It has to have 'Egg' in the name." Joey gawked to the correction. Knowing that Ash had his PokéDex back, Serenity had a request that even Rebecca and Mai wanted to know.

"Can we see Togepi's status?" the redhead requested.

"Alright…" he surrendered. After a few button presses, Togepi's picture appeared.

"Togepi, the Spike Ball Pokémon," it registered. "When treated kindly, Togepi shares luck and fortune to its caretakers." The girls cooed to the description.

"I wish that was every baby when born," Mai hoped. The boys sighed to the wishes.

"Can we wait until we graduate from high school before we think about children?" mulled Tristan. Mai giggled to Tristan's concern.

"Someone hasn't hit puberty!" she joked. Téa and Rebecca laughed to Mai's tease. Ash and Pikachu shook their smiling heads. Pharaoh sensed something from Ash and decided to mention it.

" _Yugi, it may be best if we brought him back to the Pokémon World,"_ he brought up. This made Yugi hesitant.

' _Are you sure?'_ he wondered.

" _I fear Kaiba may come after him after seeing his recent duels. If he's back in the Pokémon World, he won't have to worry about a duel against him."_ Accepting, Yugi came over to Ash and palmed his shoulder.

"Ash, the Pharaoh says it's time," he reported. "Time to go home." Ash nodded, accepting where he needed to be.

"Yug, you sure?" questioned Joey.

"It's not my call, but I do trust the spirit." To the girls, it meant saying goodbye to their new friend. Mai was first to step up.

"Well, you were the first one to stay by my side when you first got here," she complimented as she took his cap off. "So, here's one for the road." She kissed Ash on the forehead. Rebecca giggled, knowing Ash had no romantic feelings for her. Téa came next.

"Hey, not anyone can duel two guys and get a perfect win," she reminded. "Still, thanks for sharing your Pokémon with us." She gave Ash a kiss to his cheek. Serenity wanted a turn as well.

"You know, it's not gonna be the same without you," she teared up. "I wish you and your Pokémon well." She leaned in and kissed the other cheek. Tristan and Duke knew she said her farewell.

"You three will have fun as a new group," Joey acknowledged. "And Ash, she may be a handful at times… I'm just saying." Ash nodded, accepting Joey's warning. As Ash and Pikachu had their final goodbyes, Pharaoh chimed in as Serenity gave Pikachu a cheek kiss that made the Mouse Pokémon blush.

" _I suggest we go and see this world ourselves,"_ he offered _. "We may find inspiration to how their game is played."_ Yugi seemed interested as he came to Ash's side.

"I know it's coming at the last minute, but the Pharaoh wanted to see the Pokémon World," he addressed. To Ash, extra company was welcoming.

"Of course!" he cheered. With extra company, Ash, Rebecca, Yugi and Pikachu found the alley where Ash and Pikachu first arrived.

"This is where you came from?" asked Rebecca.

("I'm sure of it,") Pikachu assured. Ash believed his partner and recalled the scene.

"Right, Kuriboh was the one who guided us from Goldenrod City to here," he thought back.

"You don't believe Kuriboh's alive," Rebecca scorned.

"Maybe not really alive, but its spirit is strong," Yugi explained. The four entered and journeyed a bit before getting lost in the corridors. Pharaoh spotted something.

" _Eyes up, Yugi!"_ he alerted. Yugi looked up, finding Kuriboh floating.

"Hey, Kuriboh!" he called up. Kuriboh looked down from the air. Rebecca's eyes tried to find Kuriboh but couldn't.

"Where!?" she wondered. Looking to his girlfriend, Ash believed she didn't have the same senses he and Yugi have.

"Just follow us and we'll be there," he assessed. Rebecca's nod was a promise as Kuriboh wondered what to do.

"Can you get us to Goldenrod City?" asked Yugi. Kuriboh bobbed its head and led them through the corridors. Finally, they reached the other side. They saw red pigeons flying above, tiny pink and blue rhinos, green pods with spinning yellow flowers…

" _So, this is Ash's home…"_ Pharaoh believed. Out of nowhere…

("I found Pikachu!") shrilled Togepi. All turned to find a happy Togepi running toward them. Pikachu disembarked from Ash's shoulder.

("Togepi!") he cheered. Togepi hugged Pikachu, grateful to see him again.

"So adorable!" cooed Rebecca. Yugi knelt to Togepi for a better look.

"If Serenity or Téa got a look at you, I don't think they'd let you go," he teased. Togepi shrilled, liking the sight of new people. Just then, Misty, Brock and Whitney found the group. Whitney had a light pink rotund creature that's shaped like a star with tiny wings, pink ears with brown tips and a curled tail

"Togepi!" cried Misty. Togepi waddled to Misty as Ash, Yugi and Rebecca turned to Ash's friends.

"Misty!" called out Ash. "Brock! Whitney!" Misty retrieved Togepi before facing Ash.

"Where have you been!?" she stormed. "We've been looking for you for about two weeks!" Ash gulped to Misty's rage.

"Calm down! I got myself lost and found new monsters and a new game that I had to know-"

"New monsters!? If there is anything water-related, maybe…" Ash wove a finger to Misty before digging into his bag of stuff.

"Duke's Dungeon Dice Monsters set… I thought he packed it in." He soon found the t-shirt he wanted to grab Misty. "Like this one?" Seeing Red Archery Girl, Misty's anger subsided and soon became interested.

"A mermaid? Wow, you did find something. Thanks!"

"Wait until you see the cards." This made Brock and Whitney befuddled.

"What cards?" the brunette asked. "And who are they?" Rebecca stepped up to greet Brock.

"I was wondering when you'd notice us," she scoffed. "But, better late than never… I'm Rebecca Hawkins… and I'm Ash's new boyfriend." Misty, Brock and Whitney's faces gawked to her announcement.

"BOYFRIEND!?" they shouted. Showing, Rebecca's hand linked her hand to Ash's. Pikachu's laugh couldn't be hidden from Togepi or the winged creature. Whitney recovered before embracing both in a hug.

"I'm so proud of you two!" she cheered. Brock mulled to the news.

"Not fair!" he whined while Misty balled up her fist.

"That jerk…" she scowled. Yugi rushed to Misty to calm her down again.

"Take it easy!" he yelped. "Listen, I know that you're upset, but don't let it get to you!" Misty groaned to the news, finding herself in the losing position. Whitney now turned to Yugi.

"And who might you be?" she asked. Yugi turned to Whitney and the creature on her shoulder.

"I'm Yugi Muto," he identified. "I helped Ash become a duelist while we kept him around. By the way, I'm surprised you guys didn't follow Team Rocket."

"Wait, Team Rocket followed you?" repeated Brock.

"They did and they're after Pikachu still," Ash confirmed. Misty shook her head.

"Of course, they'd go after Pikachu," she murmured. "They'll never learn…" Whitney shrugged her shoulders.

"What can you do?" she sighed. "By the way, you sound like a teenager, but you're no taller than Misty." Yugi billowed a sigh as Rebecca pulled on Whitney's shirt. She knelt down to listen.

"Yugi's family have short legs," she informed. "Don't bully him about it." Misty overheard Rebecca's advice and awed.

"Whoa…" she hushed before going to Yugi's side. "I'm sorry about your legs."

"It's alright…" Yugi waived off. "I'm used to it, especially for the King of Games." Misty jumped at the news of Yugi's title.

"You're a king?" repeated Brock. "But you're… a little…" Rebecca and Misty snagged Brock's ears and dragged him away,

"What did he just get done talking about?" argued Misty.

"Talk about insensitive," Rebecca mulled as they dragged Brock away.

"My ears!" he complained. "Not my ears!" Ash, Whitney, Yugi and the Pokémon huffed sighs to the ordeal.

"That usually happens when there's a girl he likes," Ash clarified.

"I believe they were trying not to insult you," Whitney guessed.

"Not that it hasn't bothered me too much," Yugi muttered, Assured that Rebecca would be fine, Yugi opted to leave. Misty, Rebecca and Brock returned with Brock rubbing his ears. "I can be assured you'll take care of Rebecca, Ash?"

"Of course!" responded Ash.

"We can contact Professor Elm and have a Pokémon given to her," Misty assured.

"Okay…" eased Yugi. "I know we'll meet up again and with my other friends."

"Can't wait for that," Rebecca giggled. With waives, Yugi set off to return to Domino City. Misty was sifting through the Pokémon-based Duel Monster cards.

"My goodness!" she awed. "This is what you play? I'll be surprised if Ash actually won any of these?" Rebecca felt the need to correct Misty.

"Those are actually new cards Maximillion Pegasus made aft ," she mentioned as she brought out a Magic card with a cow and milk.

"Moo Milk. Recover 300 Life Points and 100 more Life Points for every Beast-Type monster in your Graveyard." Ash smiled at the sight before offering a suggestion.

"Let's see the rest of the cards at the Pokémon Center," he pointed out. "That way, we can contact Professor Elm about getting Rebecca her first Pokémon."

"Or Professor Oak," Brock countered. The girls agreed before going on their way. From that point on, Misty and Brock were given lessons about Duel Monsters and some Dungeon Dice Monsters while Rebecca got lessons about Pokémon. Togepi had fun rolling the dice while playing, and messing the game up. Becoming a full-fledged Pokémon Trainer, Rebecca found inspiration with how Pokémon behave and wanted to improve on it. A few months passed. Now, the four and all their Pokémon began to arrive at a house in a new town with Rebecca carrying a tiny pale green dinosaur-like Pokémon on her back. The baby dinosaur had a shark fin on its head, an orange chest plate and some black spots. As soon as they arrived, they were shocked to see the building having a party. There, Téa and another brunette woman in pink were setting food up as two men in lab coats waived them over.

"There you are!" called the gray-haired man. "I knew you'd be coming!" Ash waived them over as he, Rebecca and the Pokémon dashed over to the crowd.

"Professor Oak!" he called out. Hearing who's come by, Yugi, Joey, Serenity and Mako called them up.

"Did Domino City come calling?" joked Rebecca. The dinosaur got nervous and slightly curled itself. "Larvitar, I know it's a little scary with so many people around."

("So much…") Larvitar shivered. Yugi and Joey reached Ash and the gang as two Pokémon joined: a large white cat with a ruby embedded in its forehead and a larger version of Totodile with yellow for the underbelly.

"Boy, Ash," Joey called out. "This place is amazing!" The crocodile croaked to Joey's side.

"Isn't it, Joey?" teased Rebecca. "And it seems you have a Croconaw."

"And Yugi has a Persian," Ash noticed.

"These Pokémon came to us," Yugi claimed."Not that any of us are complaining." Croconaw came over to Larvitar who hid behind Rebecca's legs. The brunette woman reached the group gathering.

"I didn't think my son would have so many friends from beyond," she praised. "After all, I'm still surprised that you have a girlfriend who came from Domino City."

"I know, right, Mom?" an embarrassed Ash muttered. Togepi shrilled to the reunion which drew the girls in, including Tristan and Duke. By Mai was a large brown owl while Serenity had a tiny Pikachu in her arms.

"Ash, you told us that your mom's a great cook, but you never said how great," Tristan mentioned.

"It's a lot better than that time we were dealing with those who used the Seal of Oricalcos," Téa teased. Ash itched his head about his mother's praise.

"She knows how to shine with food," he admitted as Mai stepped toward Misty and Togepi.

"So, this is the Togepi Ash told you about!" cooed Mai. "You don't mind if I hold him for awhile?" Misty gulped before thinking no harm would happen.

"Sure, I bet Togepi would like more friends," she surrendered. Mai held Togepi close as Serenity reached to pet him.

"This makes me a little anxious in a few years," she pondered. Out of nowhere, Brock entered to hold Serenity's hands.

"Perhaps there's a chance that maybe a moment between us can find the serene space and discuss the creatures we'd like to sleep with," he wished. Tristan and Duke weren't exactly happy and rushed to cut Brock off. Tristan had a steel bagworm with spikes protruding out.

"Now, hold on!" halted Duke. "You're not getting close to Serenity while we're here!"

"She's for us to have," Tristan claimed. "You'd be better off with someone else." To Brock, it was a challenge.

"Don't bet on it so soon," he gritted as he stripped his top and exposed his chest. "You're talking to Brock the Rock on this!"

"Oh, please…" Tristan snapped before he and Duke stripped their tops. The girls became worried as the three flexed their bare chests and torsos to each other. Without warning, the three were knocked out by Téa and Misty, armed with mallets. By Téa was the same Pokémon Whitney had.

"Boys…" Téa groaned.

"I know that feeling," Misty sided. Mako came forward to see Misty.

"You must be the traveling companion with Ash, right?" he greeted. "I'm Mako Tsunami. Ash told me about you." Misty saw the muscles on him and wanted to feel.

"Do, uh… Do you mind if I…" she stuttered.

"Of course. These are true muscles of a fisherman." Learning about Mako's job, Misty became excited as Téa got a chance to toss Togepi up and down.

"Oh my gosh… I feel like I'm touching heaven…" Ash and Pikachu came forward with an interest.

"Aside from Duke, I see that everyone has a Pokémon," he pointed out. "Did you get one?"

"Oh, did I, Ash," he smirked before he released a huge blue jellyfish with many tentacles. It had a horn that was sharp as a sword. Misty ran over and hugged it.

"A TENTACRUEL!" she cheered. "And you _are_ real!" Turning back, her eyes became hearts.

"I think Mako got another catch of the day," Joey joked.

"Certainly looks like it," Mai agreed, as did Togepi's shrill. Misty leaped to Mako, arms extended.

"Sail away with me!" she cooed prior to giving Mako a kiss to the lips. A foot lifted high from Mako's shins. The brunette man in the lab coat and Ash's mother came to Rebecca and Larvitar.

"So, has Larvitar made any progress since hatching?" he asked. Larvitar gawked and hid behind Rebecca's legs again.

"Little…" Rebecca said. "He hadn't really been all excited, just scared." Téa heard about Larvitar.

"Oh yeah…" she recognized "The egg with poachers." Rebecca bobbed her head. Yugi came to Ash and Pikachu with an idea.

"So, Ash…" he called "Wanna see how good I am as a trainer?" This made Ash and Pikachu prepared.

"You're on, Yugi!" he accepted. Both had a clearing as Oak came to the field. The Pharaoh had a request.

" _Yugi, allow me to battle Ash,"_ he suggested. Yugi wasn't moving.

"Pharaoh, it's okay…" he eased. "This isn't Duel Monsters. I'll be fine out here." Pharaoh seemed taken back but soon acknowledged Yugi's fun.

" _Very well…"_ Oak came to the two as Mai returned Togepi to Misty.

"I will officiate this battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and Yugi Muto from Domino City!" he ruled. "Each will use all of their Pokémon until they cannot continue. Everyone ready?" Ash and Yugi nodded.

"Let's do it, Pikachu!" he summoned. Pikachu came onto the field.

"Then I'll use Persian," Yugi ordered. Persian joined Pikachu for the battle. Oak threw his arm down.

"Begin!" he started. Pikachu and Persian raced to attack each other. As everyone watched, Rebecca had to feel like the true winner. A new life, new purpose and new love. Perhaps… it was all in the cards…

* * *

THE END


End file.
